Passengers are being advised not to put battery-operated devices in the hold
gettyPassengers traveling by plane this holiday season are being warned not to pack battery-operated tech in their checked baggage because of the risk of fire.
As passengers start making journeys to visit families and friends, they’re more likely to pack tech gifts in their checked baggage, especially with tighter limits on carry-on items on busy planes. However, the British Airline Pilots’ Association is asking passengers to prioritize safety when packing gifts, with battery-related fires linked to fatal plane accidents in the past.
Phones, laptops, vaping devices, cameras, scooters and toys are among the many devices that contain lithium-ion batteries, which if poorly manufactured or damaged can ignite, causing fires that are impossible to control if the device is in the cargo hold.
Joji Waites, BALPA’s head of flight safety, said that if an incident with a battery did occur, “it’s best to have it in the cabin,” where “you’ll be able to see smoke and deal with it much more easily than in the hold, where there’s a risk of fire and everything that comes after that.”
Waites said that cabin crew are trained to deal with fires onboard and carry special equipment that can be used to contain fires in consumer electronics devices. “If there’s a mobile phone or laptop that’s smoking, there’s a bag that you can actually put the items in,” he said. “It’s sealed, cutting off oxygen, so if there is any sort of fire, there’s no fuel for it to carry on.”
Waites also said it was vital for passengers and cabin crew/gate staff to communicate when customers are asked to check carry-on items on packed planes. Waites said passengers must be “very clear about the devices in their bags” and that staff must also be educated to ensure “they don’t inadvertently put something in the hold that shouldn’t be in there.”
Battery Fires On Planes
There has been a long history of battery-related fires on planes.
In 2010, a UPS cargo flight was involved in a fatal accident when a cargo pallet containing tens of thousands of lithium batteries caused a fire in the hold, which eventually incapacitated the pilots and damaged the flight controls, causing the aircraft to crash in Dubai.
However, there have been many more recent incidents of fires caused by individual devices. Just last month, a Southwest Airlines flight waiting to depart from Denver International Airport was evacuated after a passenger’s overheating phone set fire to a seat, according to a report in the New York Post. Cabin crew were able to contain the incident with a fire extinguisher, the newspaper reported.
In October, a flight bridge at Shanghai Hongqiao International Airport had to be evacuated after a power bank stored in a passenger’s carry-on luggage ignited, emitting thick black smoke, as first reported by People.
Last year, the FAA reported that incidents of overheated lithium batteries on aircraft were reported more than once a week.
What Can You Put In Checked Baggage?
Power banks should not be placed in the hold.
gettyRegulations on carrying batteries aboard planes vary from country to country.
In the U.S., the Federal Aviation Administration states that any device containing a lithium-metal or lithium-ion battery should be kept in carry-on baggage, as should any spare batteries, including power banks and battery-charging cases.
Lithium-ion batteries are limited to 100 watt hours per battery, although with special approval from airlines, passengers may carry two spare larger batteries of up to 160 watt hours. These special permissions are normally granted for professionals such as camera crews.
All batteries must also be protected from damage by ensuring that battery terminals don’t come into contact with metal, which could create a short circuit. Methods to prevent such damage include leaving batteries in retail packaging, covering terminals with tape or using a protective pouch.
