Samsung Galaxy
Note 7 phones will be banned from all airline flights after nearly 100
incidents of the devices overheating and sometimes injuring owners, the
Transportation
Department announced Friday.
The Federal
Aviation Administration previously urged travelers not to turn on the phones,
pack them in checked luggage or charge them during a flight. The new ban is
effective at noon Saturday, Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said.
“We recognize
that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but
the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority,” Foxx said. “We
are taking this additional step because even one fire incident inflight poses a
high risk of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk
The South
Korea-based Samsung said it is working to communicate the ban to travelers. The
company announced Monday it was halting production of the device after some
updated versions of the phones continued to overheat, following a recall of the
first version.
“We have
encouraged airlines to issue similar communications directly to their
passengers," the company said in a statement Friday. "We realize this
is an inconvenience but your safety has to remain our top priority.”
The company
estimates the recalls will cost it $5.3 billion.
Elliot Kaye,
chairman of the Consumer Product Safety Commission, which is investigating the
phone, said consumers should take advantage of opportunities for a refund on
the recalled devices.
Samsung has
received 96 U.S. reports of batteries in the devices overheating, including 23
new reports since the Sept. 15 recall, according to the commission. Samsung
also has received 13 reports of burns and 47 reports of property damage
associated with the phones.
“The fire
hazard with the original Note 7 and with the replacement Note 7 is simply too
great for anyone to risk it and not respond to this official recall,” Kaye
said.
The flight ban
means the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is now considered a forbidden hazardous
material under the Federal Hazardous Material Regulations, which block airline
passengers or crew from traveling with lithium cells or batteries or portable
electronic devices that are likely to generate a dangerous amount of heat.
If an airline
representative observes a traveler with the device before boarding a flight,
the airline must deny boarding to the passenger until the phone is discarded,
the department said. Anyone caught trying to sneak a Note 7 on board could face
fines and criminal prosecution.
If a flight
crew member identifies that a passenger is in possession of the device in
flight, the crew member must instruct the passenger to power off the device,
not use or charge the device while aboard the aircraft and disable any features
that may turn on the device, such as alarm clocks, the department said.
Some airlines
had already begun bolstering training and equipment for dealing with
electronics fires during flights. A Samsung phone smoked and popped during
boarding of a Southwest Airlines flight Oct. 5, forcing the evacuation of
passengers without any injuries.
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