USA Today has identified what could be the next big thing in air travel: allowing onboard "E-cigarettes," so smokers can puff away naturally on their chemical-filled plastic tubes without disturbing their fellow passengers. How'd this soon-to-be-everywhere trend get started?

E-cigarette company Blu Cigs has teamed up with tiny charter airline Global Execs Aviation to make sure passengers have access to soothing, electronically heated nicotine solution vapor during their flights. Why the free thinking?

A key factor in why [the airline's manager] welcomed them onto the private jets managed by his company was the loss of a customer who would have paid $300,000 for a trip to South Africa but backed out when he learned he couldn't smoke during the flight.

For that much money you can also experience the "Our 'Flight Attendant' gals will do whatever you want sir, wink wink" trend! The bigger airlines that the reporter asks about allowing e-cigarettes on board are all like "Nah, not gonna happen." So if you want to smoke on a flight, it'll only cost you $300K! USA Today story included free.

[USAT]