Skolnik

According to a new safety advisory released by the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) passengers flying with cell phones, laptops, cameras and other portable electronic devices should take precautions to reduce the risk of fires on aircraft due to the batteries housed inside these units. Recently, there were two incidents on board commercial aircraft. On February 10, a fire broke out in the overhead baggage compartment on a JetBlue flight with preliminary results indicating one or more loose batteries may have been the source of the fire. On March 18, PHMSA received reports that a battery had ignited on board an American Airlines aircraft flying from Argentina. In each case, airline employees responded quickly, extinguishing the fire and safely landing the aircraft. Passengers should, according to the advisory, keep spare batteries in their original retail packaging; keep loose batteries covered with insulating tape to protect them from contact with metal objects; place each battery in its own protective case, plastic bag, or package; and pack spare batteries in carry-on baggage, rather than checked baggage. Also, passengers should use only chargers designed for the battery type and take steps to prevent crushing, puncturing or dropping batteries.