The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has issued a warning to travelers flying home for the holidays about a hidden danger that may be lurking in their luggage.
Data from the FAA shows that fires caused by lithium-ion batteries on U.S. flights have risen by 388 percent since 2015, and now occur as often as twice a week.
The rechargeable batteries – found in everyday devices like laptops, phones, tablets and even electric toothbrushes – can catch fire if they overheat or are damaged.
Since 2006, there have been 504 verified incidents on flights involving lithium batteries causing smoke, fire or extreme heat, with 32 incidents occurring so far in 2024, the FAA’s data shows.
Most of these, have come from a chargeable battery pack (206 occurrences), while 104 relate to vapes and e-cigarettes. Some 68 incidents have been linked to phones.
A survey of more than 800 flight attendants, conducted by UL Standards and Engagement, a safety research organization, found that 87 percent are concerned about lithium battery risks on airplanes, and more than a third believe airlines should do more to ensure passenger safety.
"Any fire at 30,000 feet is unacceptable," David Wroth of UL, told CBS.
While the FAA requires airlines to include general safety information in preflight announcements, those warnings often don’t address the specific risk of battery fires.
The UL survey also found that one in four passengers admitted to packing lithium batteries in their checked bags, which could result in a fire in the plane’s cargo hold.
"It’s a balance we probably need to do a better job striking with the airlines," said Ben Supko, who oversees hazardous materials safety for the FAA. "Passengers don’t fully understand how serious the risk is."
Supko told CBS that passengers need to monitor devices during a flight and immediately notify the crew if a device becomes warm, discolors, or bulges.
It comes after over 100 passengers were evacuated from a parked Southwest plane in November, after a traveler’s phone caught fire, causing a seat to also go up in flames.
Southwest Airlines Flight 3316 was parked at the gate at Denver International Airport and was getting ready to depart when the incident occurred.
The airline had already boarded 108 passengers onto the Boeing 737-700 when a passenger’s cell phone battery caught on fire. This lead to one of the plane’s seats also catching alight, the airline said in a statement to The Independent.
In response to the incident the FAA wrote on X, “Lithium ion-powered devices, like cell phones and power banks, are safest with you inside the aircraft cabin as crew are trained to quickly address events of smoke and fire.”
