I remember whenever you went to a sit down restaurant you had to tell the person seating you if you wanted smoking or non-smoking. As if it mattered lol.
Our favorite restaurant* growing up had a little corner with like 3 tables as the non smoking section. We'd go there because my kindergarten teacher and her husband owned it.
Actually, most planes from that era circulated air front to rear and smoking was always the rear section, and the entire cabin's air was renovated every 1-3 minutes, so unless you were seated in the row immediately before smoking, you didn't get smoke.
I hear you, but for some reason I don't believe you. I grew up in the 80s and never experienced cigs on a plane, but I have a feeling the smoke smell spread further than the seated row before smoking.
My first flight that i was ever on was pretty much the last one that still had smokers on them, and the airplane definitely snelled like smoke. I remember my second flight, some guy lit up a cigarette and they explained him that smoking isn't allowed anymore, and people were like: i fon't care, let him smoke and shit. Insanity.
One of the last times i was in a restaurant where indoor smoking was still a thing, the waitress asked us if we want to be seated in a smoking or non smoking section. We picked non smoking, because, gross. We were right on the line between smokers and non smokers, and i sat back to back to a guy who chainsmoked when we were eating.