I'm not defending these folks "if" they were indeed smoking on the plane, but somebody has lost their freakin' mind and made a "mountain out of a molehill" imo. Seriously folks...15 years ago smoking WAS allowed on planes...this didn't call for the extreme measure the airline took imo...simply arrest and fine the hell out of them once the plane lands. I do recall back when the smoking ban took effect back in the late 90s...shortly thereafter a belligerant passenger decided to light one up in the back...the police were waiting for him when the flight was over
. Common sense goes a long way...both sides.