Airlines dealing with more and more incidents involving lithium-ion batteries

Craig Nigrelli: BIG CONCERNS FOR AIRLINES WHEN IT COMES TO BATTERY POWERED DEVICES THAT TRAVELERS ARE TAKING BOTH ON-BOARD AND PUTTING IN THEIR CHECKED LUGGAGE. 

A NEW REPORT, FROM AN AIRLINES SAFETY PROGRAM REVEALS,  THAT OVERHEATING INCIDENTS ROSE BY 28 PERCENT FROM 2019 TO 2023.  THE NUMBER ONE CULPRIT : E-CIGS.    

THE REPORT INDICATES IN 60-PERCENT OF THE CASES, THE OVERHEATING TOOK PLACE NEAR THE PASSENGER WHO BROUGHT THE DEVICE ON-BOARD.  

THE T-S-A ACTUALLY ALLOWS E-CIGARETTES, PHONE CHARGERS AND POWER BANKS , WITH LITHIUM ION BATTERIES, IN CARRY-ON BAGS BUT PROHIBITS THEM IN CHECKED BAGGAGE.  THE KEY REASON : FIRES IN THE CARGO BAY OF A PLANE ARE SUPPOSEDLY HARDER TO DETECT.. 

NEARLY THREE DOZEN AIRLINES PARTICIPATED IN THE SURVEY AND CONTRIBUTED DATA.

 THE REPORT SITED TWO EXAMPLES OF THE DANGERS OF SUCH BATTERIES ON-BOARD A FLIGHT. 

LAST YEAR A FLIGHT FROM DALLAS TO ORLANDO WAS FORCED TO MAKE AN EMERGENCY LANDING IN JACKSONVILLE AFTER A BATTERY CAUGHT FIRE IN AN OVERHEAD BIN.   

AND THIS PAST JULY, A SMOKING  LAPTOP IN A PASSENGER’S BAG FORCED THE EVACUATION OF A PLANE  IN SAN FRANCISCO.

THE AIRLINES OPERATE ABOUT 180-THOUSAND FLIGHTS, PER WEEK, IN THE UNITED STATES, WITH MORE AND MORE TRAVELERS TAKING PHONES, LAPTOPS., TABLETS AND POWER PACKS WITH THEM, WHEN THEY FLY.   THE REPORT NOTES THAT ABOUT ONE-THIRD OF TRAVELERS SAY THEY ARE **NOT CONCERNED** ABOUT THE RISKS.

I’M CRAIG NIGRELLI.  FOR MORE UNBIASED STORIES AND UPDATES, DOWNLOAD THE STRAIGHT ARROW NEWS APP