The risk of lithium battery fires on flights has become a significant concern, particularly on long-haul flights over the ocean, such as those to and from Hawaii. With the potential for these fires to be difficult to extinguish and the limited emergency landing options over the long expanse of the Pacific Ocean, airlines are re-upping proactive measures to ensure Hawaii passenger safety.
Recent incidents with laptop fires on flights.
In recent news, an American Airlines flight from San Francisco to Miami experienced a laptop battery fire during boarding, leading to an emergency evacuation and minor injuries to three passengers. This incident underscores the ongoing risk posed by lithium batteries on flights. It was lucky how it turned out.
According to FAA data, in the last year for which we found data, there were 62 lithium battery fire incidents on airliners in 2022, occurring at a rate of more than one per week. This marks a significant increase from previous years, highlighting the growing prevalence of such incidents.
Adoption of fire-containment bags.
Airlines, including American and Delta, introduced fire-containment bags to address this issue. You may recall that it started nearly 10 years ago with Samsung phones that caught on fire and were ultimately banned. These bags are designed to contain and extinguish fires from electronic devices and are made of materials that can withstand extremely high temperatures.
Airlines introduced fire-containment bags in 2016. The initial push for these bags was driven by cell phone incidents. Alaska Airlines was one of the first airlines to deploy fire-containment bags across its entire fleet in May 2016.
There are also reports that Hawaiian Airlines is now using fire-containment bags, as one passenger reported. While this is unconfirmed, these would be proactive measures, particularly important for flights that are far from land. Notably, Hawaiian Airlines, the oldest American airline, has been in business for 95 years without a serious incident or hull loss, which is a testament to its stalwart commitment to safety. A hull loss is an accident that damages an aircraft beyond repair.
Safety measures and passenger reactions.
As frequent fliers who travel with laptops, the editors at Beat of Hawaii recognize the importance of these safety measures. Knowing that airlines are equipped to handle potential fires from electronic devices is reassuring for passengers who routinely carry laptops, phones, and other electronic gadgets on flights.
While airlines introduced fire-containment bags a decade ago, they remain a crucial step in enhancing passenger safety. Given the increasing number of reported lithium battery fire incidents, including recent ones, these measures are essential to prevent potential disasters, including on long-haul Hawaii flights over the Pacific Ocean.
As passengers, we take some comfort in knowing that airlines are actively working to mitigate these risks, ensuring a safer travel experience. Please share your thoughts.
Airlines like Alaska and Southwest and Delta have had these containment bags on their planes for years. Now Hawaiian, after all these years, is just now stating to put them on their airplanes??? Hawaiian is years behind……
The Baker Bags are extremely dangerous. The FAA guidelines state that the device needs to be completely cooled and extinguished prior to putting them into the bags. The UL5800 is the only certification the FAA endorses. The containment bags do not work.
I retired from an airline that started putting these containment bags on aircraft many years ago. I was a below the wing employee, not cabin crew.
Just to finish the story, the airlines also put fire safe gloves (think very high temperature fire resistant oven mitts) for the cabin crew to use to get the flaming battery or laptop into the containment bag as safely as possible.
Aloha!
Hi Peter.
Thanks! Who knew.
Aloha.
Does it make a difference as to whether or not the battery is connected (powering) the device or not?
So, are all devices (or those deemed necessary) kcontaining lithium batteries placed into these bags boarding, or are these bags used to snuff out fires if they start?