There was no clear medical evidence for harmfulness of smoking before 1970's, so smoking was allowed in any airlines.

USA is one of the earliest state to understand smoking is harmful for others' health, so US FAA banned smoking on all US domestic flights since 1979. But smoking is still allowed on most international flights.

Air Canada is the 1st airline to run system-wide non-smoking policy, since 1987. Most airlines of developed countries followed.

Even China, a rather poor and backward socialist country, banned smoking in all flights since 2000.

Strangely, smoking is still allowed in Olympic Airways of Greece, as well as numerous Middle East airlines like Emirates and Gulf Air, even these countries are richer and more advanced than China!

Lucasiu:
I only signed up this morning(sydney), and think you are full of s**t.
1), A country which has more oil, doesn't mean it is more advance. Have you ever been to China? have you ever set your feet in shanghai? If the answer is "no", then you should not make silly remarks like this.
2) China is not a poor, and backward country, you better open your eyes, open your heart and get in touch with reality, because Chian is the fastest growing country in the world, and it will remain that way in the next 10 -20 years.
If China is a backward country, then how can you explain Microsoft has its one of the research center in Beijin? And why Motorola is investing 10 billion dollors in China?

By the way, less engines on a airplane(B777) doesn't mean it is less safer then the plane has more engies(A340).
If I know there is going to be an engines failure, I don't want to be on any of these 2 planes!(B777,A340).

B777 is a success story for Boeing, take look Singpore Airlines, the one of the best has placed more orders on B777 than A340,and the only reason reason they placed order for A340-500 is becasue the restructions on the ETOPS, not becaus A340-500 is a better plane than B777.

I have been on both of them, B777 has better interior than A340, the feeling when the Trent engines powers up is just unbelievable.

B777 all the way.

And by the way: I am Chinese.