Anchorage Ted Stevens International Airport (ANC)

Ted Stevens Anchorage International Airport is a non-smoking facility indoors. Smoking is only permitted in designated outdoor areas on the commercial curbs of both the South and North terminals, and nowhere else on airport property. There are zero indoor smoking rooms or airside smoking areas of any kind.

Before Security

The only places you can legally smoke at ANC are the designated outdoor smoking zones on the commercial curbs outside each terminal building:

• South Terminal commercial curb: The outdoor designated smoking area on the curbside of the main South Terminal, accessible before you enter the building or after you exit.

• North Terminal commercial curb: A matching designated smoking zone on the curbside of the North Terminal.

Both spots are landside, meaning you must be outside the terminal buildings entirely. There are no details in official sources about specific distances from entrances, but standard practice at US airports typically requires standing clear of doorways.

After Security

There are no smoking facilities of any kind past the security checkpoints at ANC. No smoking rooms, no smoking lounges, and no paid airline lounges with smoking access have been identified at this airport. If you are connecting through Anchorage and need to smoke, you will have to exit the secure area, go to one of the outdoor curbside smoking zones, and then clear security again before your next flight. Factor in extra time for this, especially during busy travel periods when TSA lines can be long.

Vaping Rules

Vaping and e-cigarette use follow the same rules as smoking at ANC. The airport is a non-smoking facility, and vaping is not permitted anywhere inside the terminal buildings. Use of e-cigarettes is restricted to the same designated outdoor curbside areas as traditional cigarettes.

Transit and Layovers

If you have a connecting flight and want to smoke during your layover, you must exit the secure zone, walk to the outdoor curbside smoking area, and re-enter through security. Give yourself plenty of time: TSA recommends arriving three hours before your flight, and re-clearing security mid-layover can eat into that buffer quickly, particularly during peak travel periods.

Bottom Line

Smoke before you go through security or not at all: there are no airside options, no smoking lounges, and no workarounds once you are past the checkpoint.