Yesterday, The U.S. Department of Transport (DOT), the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration (PHMSA) issued an emergency order banning the Note 7 phone from all aircraft. Transport Canada issued a similar emergency order.
Orders made in both countries come into effect today at noon ET.
The Note 7s will not only be prohibited from being brought into the passenger cabin of the aircraft but they will not be permitted to be stowed in checked baggage. The ban is so broad that the phones will not be allowed to be shipped by air. Travellers who are in possession of a Note 7 will not be allowed to board the aircraft unless they somehow dispose of their phone prior to boarding.
Passengers who are currently travelling, are in between flights and have Note 7s are advised to contact Samsung to receive instructions on what to do with their phones. And crew members who find a Note 7 phone while in flight have been told to have the passenger power down the phone and disable it if possible. The passenger will not be allowed to use it or charge the battery. A passenger found with a phone will be instructed to carry the Note 7 on their person and not put it in an overhead compartment, back seat pocket or carry-on luggage where there is a greater risk of pressure on the battery that can lead it to catch on fire.
The ban applies not only to American and Canadian airlines but to all airlines that fly to or from the United States and Canada. Beginning at noon today, people who get caught trying to avoid the ban will be subject to fines and criminal prosecution.
Anthony Foxx, the U.S. Transportation Secretary, said he realizes the ban will inconvenience some passengers but even one incident with the phone can put the lives of a lot of people at risk.
Samsung issued recalls for the Note 7 in September and October and earlier this week the company announced it had stopped production of the phone. There have been more than 100 cases of phones catching on fire in the United States alone and some of these incidents have occurred during flight. One phone caught fire on a Southwest Airlines flight earlier this month.
Although Samsung encountered major difficulties with the Galaxy Note 7s, other electronic devices have also exploded or caught on fire. PC Mag.com reports a Samsung tablet fell and became stuck between the seats on a Delta flight about to take off. The tablet began smoking due to the pressure on the battery and the flight had to be delayed for two hours. And in March, an iPhone caught on fire during an Alaska Airlines flight.
As a result of the risk of electronic devices catching fire during flight, some airlines are equipping their aircraft with fire containment bags. These bags are made of fire resistant material and are large enough to hold a laptop. The bags have heavy duty zippers and are capable of withstanding temperatures of 3,200 degrees F. And they are not cheap; each bag costs $1,800.
Other airlines are considering purchasing fire containment bags. Plans were in the works for these bags prior to the problems with the Galaxy Note 7s but the issues with the Samsung phone has sped up the acquisition of these bags.
