UP IN SMOKE

New airline targets smoking niche

German entrepreneur Alexander Schoppmann wants to reignite the romance of travel. Schoppmann is all fired up about a business opportunity born from the anti-smoking trend -- a luxury airline that allows passengers to light up.
He plans to launch Smintair (that stands for Smoker's International Airways) in March as the first smoking-permitted carrier, with flights from Dusseldorf to Tokyo's Narita International on two Boeing 747 aircraft.
Schoppmann says he's seeking a return to simpler times, when air travel seemed exotic and cigarettes were not verboten.