These Devices Pose Rising Safety Risks, Faa Tells Airlines

Flight safety tips and tricks for electronics

If you’ve flown recently, your airline probably asked you a question or issued a warning about packing your electronics safely. Here's why.

• The Federal Aviation Administration issued a safety alert about the fire risk of lithium-ion batteries on planes.
• Lithium batteries in overhead bins or carry-on bags can be hard to monitor, potentially delaying fire detection.
• The FAA recommends airlines review their firefighting procedures and passenger safety messaging.

The Federal Aviation Administration sent a safety alert to aircraft operators on Tuesday, Sept. 9 warning of the potential dangers of lithium-ion batteries onboard.

"Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) data shows a number of safety events involving lithium batteries. Lithium batteries (including power banks and portable chargers) can act as ignition sources and potentially start onboard fires," the notice said. "Lithium batteries stored in passenger overhead bins and or in carry-on baggage, may be obscured, difficult to access, or not readily monitored by passengers or crewmembers. Because of this, detection of thermal runaway and firefighting measures may be delayed in flight, increasing the risk to safety."

The FAA's guidance includes suggesting that airlines and other operators review their firefighting procedures as well as their safety messaging to passengers regarding electronics.

With more passengers than ever traveling with electronic devices, airlines and regulators are increasingly taking measures to mitigate against the risks.

The Transportation Security Administration recently sent out a reminder that electric toothbrushes shouldn't go in checked luggage. Southwest Airlines also announced a policy requiring that portable power packs be visible when they're in use onboard.

"Every regulation we have in aviation comes from an incident happening. Clearly, this is something that’s getting increasingly dangerous as time goes on, and more devices come onboard," Rich Henderson, a flight attendant at a major U.S. airline and one of the authors of the Two Guys on a Plane blog, previously told USA TODAY.

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter and writes the Cruising Altitude column for USA TODAY. He is based in New York and you can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.