Yes, you can smoke at Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG) at five designated outdoor smoking areas around the main terminal — four on the baggage claim level and one on the ticketing level at the Terminal parking garage. Every indoor space, including both Concourse A and Concourse B, is smoke-free, and there is no passenger smoking area after security.
How CVG Is Laid Out
CVG passengers use a single main terminal (Terminal 3) for check-in, security, and baggage claim. Past the central checkpoint, two concourses sit out on the airfield, reached from the terminal by an underground transportation hall with a short automated tram (a few minutes) or a walking path:
- Concourse A — the larger domestic concourse (gates numbered A1 and up), home to The Club CVG lounge.
- Concourse B — handles international arrivals/departures plus domestic flights (gates numbered B1 and up), with the Delta Sky Club and an Escape Lounge.
Both concourses are entirely smoke-free, as is the main terminal. The passenger operation shares the airfield with one of North America’s biggest cargo hubs — DHL Express’s Americas superhub and Amazon Air’s primary hub — and every passenger smoking area is clustered at the main terminal.
Where to Smoke
Smoking at CVG is permitted only at the designated outdoor smoking areas, each marked with signage and equipped with ash urns. Five are open to passengers:
Baggage claim level (arrivals):
- Near Passenger Pick-Up pole 1B, on the curb outside baggage claim.
- Near Passenger Pick-Up pole 4B, at the other end of the pick-up curb.
- Ground Transportation East, just past the employee shuttle pickup.
- Ground Transportation West, near the Long-Term Parking pick-up area.
Ticketing level (departures):
- At the Level C entrance of the Terminal parking garage, across from the ticketing curb.
Keep clear of the sliding glass doors on both the ticketing and baggage claim levels — the airport’s rules single those doorways out as no-smoking spots even outdoors. Kentucky has no statewide indoor-smoking ban, so the rule that governs CVG is the airport’s own: Kenton County Airport Board Rules and Regulations 307.00 bans smoking and e-cigarettes in the public areas of every airport building except the designated areas, and stepping outside those spots can draw a citation.
After Security (Concourses A and B)
Smoking areas: None for passengers. All gate areas, food courts, lounges, and shops on Concourse A and Concourse B are smoke-free. CVG’s old post-security smoking lounges were removed years ago.
Employee-only areas: There are two ramp-level outdoor smoking areas airside — near gate A4 on Concourse A and between gates B13 and B15 on Concourse B. Both open only with an employee SIDA badge, so passengers cannot use them; if you spot crew smoking airside, that is where they are.
If you have cleared TSA: Ride the tram or walk back to the main terminal, exit the secure area, smoke at one of the five outdoor areas, and re-clear screening before returning to your gate. Connecting passengers should allow extra time for the round trip.
Vaping
Vaping and e-cigarettes are treated exactly like cigarettes at CVG under Rule 307.00. They are not permitted anywhere inside the terminal or concourses and may only be used at the designated outdoor smoking areas.
Summary
| Area | Smoking Allowed | Where |
|---|---|---|
| Baggage claim level (outdoors) | Yes | Pick-Up poles 1B and 4B, Ground Transportation East and West |
| Ticketing level (outdoors) | Yes | Level C entrance of the Terminal parking garage |
| Indoor terminal and concourses | No | Smoke-free throughout |
| After security (airside) | No | Employee-only ramp areas exist; no passenger access |
For US airport smoking rules, state laws, vaping limits and fines, see our USA airport smoking guide.