Yes, you can smoke at Bill and Hillary Clinton National Airport (LIT) at the designated outdoor areas in front of the terminal and along its east and west sides. The airport names those spots in its own FAQ, and they all sit landside, before the security checkpoint. The terminal interior and the concourse are smoke-free, so a departing smoker steps outside first and clears the checkpoint afterwards.
How Clinton National Airport Is Laid Out
LIT, still known locally as Adams Field, is a single-terminal airport built around one concourse holding Gates 1 to 12. Ticketing sits on the ground level with the entrance doors, valet parking, Starbucks and the Little Rock visitor information desk; baggage claim occupies its own level below with five carousels, ground transportation and the car-rental counters; and escalators and elevators carry departing passengers up to the concourse level, where a single security checkpoint feeds the gates.
Six airlines serve Little Rock — Allegiant, American, Delta, Frontier, Southwest and United — flying nonstop to more than 15 destinations. The airport describes itself as welcoming two million passengers a year, and the FAA counted 1,145,693 passenger boardings at LIT in calendar year 2024, up 4.4 percent on the year before. It is a compact regional airport rather than a connecting hub, which makes the trip out for a cigarette and back a manageable one.
Where to Smoke Outside the Terminal
The airport’s FAQ is direct about it: smoking is not permitted anywhere in the terminal, and the designated smoking areas are outside, in front of the terminal and on the east and west sides. The interior is smoke-free under the Arkansas Clean Indoor Air Act, which covers enclosed public places and workplaces across the state.
The airport’s interactive terminal map marks the smoking areas on the ticketing-level plan, out at the curb on either side of the building — so as soon as you are through the doors at ground level, you only need to walk a short way along the frontage to reach one. Head for the marked spots with receptacles rather than standing in the doorway, and keep clear of the drop-off lanes, which get busy at peak hours.
None of the areas is enclosed or heated. Little Rock summers are hot and humid enough that a July cigarette on the curb is a sweaty affair, and winter mornings can drop below freezing, so dress for whatever the day is doing. A new curbside canopy over the terminal frontage gives some shelter from rain along the entrance, and further outdoor seating and landscaping are part of the airport’s current terminal-improvement programme.
The Concourse — Gates 1 to 12
Smoking: Outdoors only — exit through the concourse exit lane and use a designated area at the front or sides of the terminal. After security: The concourse is smoke-free end to end; every smoking area is landside.
All twelve gates share one concourse, so there is no wrong pier to be stuck on. Post-security you have Starbucks, Chick-fil-A and Burger King, Chili’s Bar and Grill, the Great American Bagel Bakery and Hudson News, plus laptop workstations at either end near Gates 1 and 12. The concourse was refloored in terrazzo as part of the recent improvements, and a rebuilt exit lane with glass doors and clearer signage makes stepping out of the secure area straightforward when you want that cigarette.
Landside — Ticketing and Baggage Claim
Smoking: Outdoors at the designated areas, a few steps from the ticketing-level doors. Facilities: Starbucks and the Riverbend Bar, which serves a full bar plus grab-and-go salads, sandwiches and snacks, along with Daily News for magazines and travel bits.
This is the useful part of the airport for a smoker with time to spare. The Riverbend Bar sits before the checkpoint, so you can have a drink, walk out for a smoke, and only then commit to security — no re-screening involved.
After Security
Every place you can smoke at LIT is on the landside of the checkpoint. Once you are on the concourse, a cigarette means leaving the secure area through the exit lane, going down to ground level, using an outdoor area, and screening in again. With one checkpoint and twelve gates the distances are short; budget 25 to 35 minutes for the round trip and you will be back at the gate with room to spare.
If Little Rock is one leg of a longer trip, our guide to smoking during layovers explains how to judge whether a connection gives you enough time to get outside and back. Two of LIT’s busiest connecting points work the same way: the outdoor smoking areas at Dallas/Fort Worth sit outside every terminal on the lower level, and the designated areas at Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson are marked by door number outside the main terminal — landside in both cases.
E-Cigarettes and Vaping
Vaping and e-cigarettes follow the cigarette rule at LIT: use the outdoor designated areas at the front and sides of the terminal, not the ticketing hall, the baggage claim or the concourse. TSA allows vape devices and spare lithium batteries in carry-on baggage only — they cannot travel in checked luggage — and using one on board an aircraft is prohibited by federal rule.
Summary
| Area | Smoking | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Terminal interior | No | Smoke-free from ticketing to the gates |
| Concourse, Gates 1–12 | No | No smoking room; exit and re-clear security |
| Baggage claim level | No | Smoke-free; the outdoor areas are one level up |
| Front of the terminal | Yes | Designated smoking area, landside |
| East and west sides of the terminal | Yes | Designated smoking areas, landside |
| Restaurants and bars | No | Riverbend Bar and all concourse dining are smoke-free |
| Vaping / e-cigarettes | Outdoor only | Same designated areas as cigarettes |
For USA airport smoking rules, state vape rules, lighter rules at TSA, and other federal/state info, see our USA smoking guide.