Being a smoker, I know the worst experience getting off the plane is waiting until I'm outside to finally light up and have that first post-plane cigarette. However, it is anything but convenient to smoke at an airport. The first problem is that matches and lighters aren't allowed onto a plane, so you end up playing the game of "who has a light" outside the terminal. You may also not have cigarettes on you as well and are either unwilling to pay airport prices for a pack or buy a brand that you don't smoke (airports are often limited in their availability, from my experience). A big issue with both obtaining cigarettes and a light is that when a plane arrives during early morning or late night hours, everything inside the terminal is shut down and often, there are too few people around, milling about, ready to hand over a light or an extra cigarette (which already is a hassle these days, since cigarettes are expensive and people are unwilling to part with their precious tobacco).

I have always thought a great solution to this would be stationing automated cigarette/matchbook machines outside the airport terminal entrances. Instead of selling full-sized versions of both, the machines would dispense mini-packs, just enough number of matches or cigarettes to get the smoker through his pre- or post-trip nicotine doldrums. Matches, of course, could be sold for a nominal fee, perhaps 50 cents for a half-book, and cigarettes may either be sold in half-packs (as they do in foreign countries such as the United Kingdom) or individually. This would especially be favorable to smokers who can't find their preferred brand at the airport and who just want a cigarette or two of any variety to hold them over until they arrive at their final destination.

These machines, of course, do not have to be designed like the traditional cigarette machines found in many smoky bars and restaurants. They can be an exercise in aesthetics, adding to the outside quality of the airport (indeed, many new ashtrays around airports are often great examples of "enlightened" design for such a base item). These machines could design-wise even integrate ash trays, thus providing smokers with an all-in-one solution for their nicotine needs.

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