Why are there ashtrays in the airplane lavatory if there is no smoking allowed?

Thanks everyone!!!

(well) theres a rule amoungst fellow travielers
smoke and tode then hope that the air line stewerdis
dont smell it
it stinks (YA) but folks gotta habbit...AND they gotta feed it
thats why the air line have this government rule ( NO SMOKING) well they are being payeed to say this (BUT)
halve the time the workers of the said airline have the habbit
and they sneak off and do it them selves>
thats why I travel by moter cycle and catch a ship
then the rules don't apply to my way of live'in
and its kinda cool ya can meet all kinds of folks
and (CHICS)..... YA BUDDY THATS WHAT HAPPENIN)
any way when you travel go you way of livein
piss on the rules you are you're own man,
what make's the tripp worth it is what that count's
any way go the way you see fit.
happy trail's and let us know what you have seen..
out law.

I feel the 3 thumbs down on my answer warrants clarification. You can not smoke on domestic flights, true. It is still legal to smoke on many international flights and flights within other countries. Get your facts straight before you start dishing out the thumbs down. Report It

Because smoking is not banned on EVERY flight and the aircraft manufactures make each plane the same.

Most airplanes are old ones still in use and when Mfg. it was ok to smoke on planes, now a days you CAN NOT smoke on any commercial airlines in this country.

I never paid attention to that before but I noticed Air China 747 had ashtray in the arm rest. WTF? I don't want to go down with the plane when some idiotic passenger decided to light up a cigarette. In fact, how do they carry a lighter onboard anyways? Isn't that illegal?

Most aircraft have been in service for quite a while and it's not that long ago that you could smoke at the rear of the plane. Smoking is now banned on every commercial flight.

It used to be allowed and it doesn't make much sense to get new planes every year. Most planes in the air are anywhere from 10-20 years old.

Aside from the old planes the airlines they lease them and they could be leased from a country that allows smoking