A major US airport wants to add a smoking area

Many international airports provide spaces for smokers (and vapers) with lighting inside the terminals. But thanks to clean indoor air laws adopted over the years in many cities and states, smoking of any kind is prohibited inside most airport facilities in the United States. There are also designated smoking areas – if available – outside.

There are some strongholds. Smokers can still find smoking lounges, patios and other “smoking-allowed” areas after security at airport terminals in Las Vegas, Miami, Nashville, Tampa and Gulfport, Mississippi.

By 2026, a major US airport may join this list.

On October 1, the Wayne County Airport Authority — which operates Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport (DTW) — issued a request for proposals for new food and beverage concessions at DTW’s McNamara Terminal.

This application includes a proposed bar/lounge concept with food, cigar retail and an enclosed cigar smoking area in Concourse A, near Gates 43 to 47.

DTW’s bars and restaurants have been smoke-free since 2010, when Michigan’s Smoke-Free Indoor Air Act was passed. But the law excludes independent cigar lounges.

The inclusion of a cigar bar in DTW’s current application “was developed in response to interest from the community and local businesses, particularly related to the international nature of the airport,” said Curtis Strickland, the airport’s director of communications and public relations.

He added that the request requires bidders to provide a modern air treatment and ventilation system and design the facility to reduce smoke exposure “to the greatest extent possible.”

Proposals for a cigar lounge at DTW are scheduled to be submitted in January 2026, but the lounge idea itself is not sitting well with many non-smokers, labor rights organizations and non-smoking rights groups, citing a Centers for Disease Control and Prevention study that reported problems with secondhand smoke in many non-smoking areas at airports that have smokers’ lounges.

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“On top of all the usual difficulties that come with flying, [DTW] “Travelers will now have to deal with the severe health risks of exposure to secondhand smoke as they pass through this crowded hub,” said Cynthia Hallett, president and CEO of Americans for Nonsmokers’ Rights. “Not only that, but airport workers will have to inhale toxic fumes just to make a living.”

What other US airports have smoking areas after security procedures?

Harry Reid International Airport (LAS)

Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas has eight gaming lounges where smoking is permitted. Each lounge contains slot machines within enclosed, well-ventilated spaces, and access to these areas is restricted to passengers aged 21 and over. The airport notes that although smoking is permitted in these lounges, marijuana and other cannabis products cannot be used in the lounges because these substances are prohibited on airport property, according to federal law.

LAS has one smoking lounge at Gates A and B in Terminal 1. There are two lounges in Terminal 1 at the Concourse C gates, near Gates C5 and C25.

Concourse D has two halls, near gates D16 and D50. There are also two lounges in Terminal 3 at Gates E, near Gate E3 and Gate E14.

Miami International Airport (MIA)

At Miami International Airport, smokers can order a drink and/or meal and light up on the outdoor patio of TGI Friday’s Restaurant, located in the North Terminal of Concourse D, adjacent to Gate D36. There is also a section on the side of the patio where smokers can stand and smoke without making a purchase.

Tampa International Airport (TPA)

Tampa International Airport (TPA) has four separate terminals after security: Airsides A, C, E, and F. Each has a covered outdoor smoking area.

Find these lounges at Gate A18, Gate C30, Gate E62 and Gate F88.

Nashville International Airport (BNA)

At Nashville International Airport, smokers can smoke at the Travelers Post Smoking Lounge in Concourse B, near Gate B10. The lounge is an airport concession program and includes a convenience store adjacent to an enclosed, ventilated lounge. Drinks are served here, and admission requires a fee. Posting hours are 7 a.m. to 7:30 p.m

Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport (GPT)

The five-gate Gulfport-Biloxi International Airport in Mississippi has a filtered smoking room at Gates 2 and 3.