This is what some airlines are using to protect you from the Samsung Note7
If, for some reason, a passenger on your flight ignored the recall warnings, and somehow slipped past the new ban on Samsung Note7 devices, some airlines have deployed a solution for any burning smartphones.
On Thursday, Alaska Airlines (whose $2.6 billion merger with Virgin America airlines is under Justice Department review) posted a safety notice on its site that prominently displays a fire containment bag in direct relation to Samsung Galaxy Note7 devices that might fail during flights.
"In the case of a lithium-ion battery fire, [flight attendants] will don heat-resistant gloves and place the device inside the bag, zipping it shut once the initial flames are extinguished," reads the notice, which followed a reminder that the Note7 should not be powered on or charged on the flight (this came one day before the DOT's total ban on the device). "Even if the electronic device re-ignites, the bag will contain the heat and flames."
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Created by Baker Aviation, the Hot-Stop 'L' bag is designed to contain lithium ion batteries that fail while in flight, while the gloves are meant to protect flight staff who handle a failing device. The bags, which can withstand up to 3,200 degrees Fahrenheit, allow the crew to contain the device until it burns itself out.
According to Baker Aviation's tests, the bag can contain devices as large as a laptop, so a burning Note7 should, hopefully, present no problem to the bag's safety functionality.
Although Alaska Airlines began outfitting its flights with the bags earlier this year, the reminder is likely meant to give passengers a sense of safety in the wake of recent burning Note7 reports.
On Friday, the Associated Press reported that Virgin America and Delta have also added fire containment bags to flights in relation to lithium ion battery failure concerns.
A complete ban on the Samsung Note7 went into effect for all flights in the U.S. and Canada on Saturday, with some passengers reporting that airline staff members are checking the brand and model of smartphones of passengers on some flights.
