Airline adds fire containment bags on flights

Friday, 17 Oct, 2016 0

Delta Air Lines has said it is adding ‘fire containment bags’ on its entire fleet, starting with planes that fly international routes over water.

Made of fire resistant materials, the bags are used to suppress smoking or overheating lithium batteries used in most phones and electronic devices.

The move follows recent publicity of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices catching fire, with some instances happening on flights. The Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) has now placed a blanket-ban on carrying the phones on board aircraft.

If a fire is detected, flight crew use heat-resistant gloves to place the device in the bag which is quickly zipped shut and extinguishes any flames.

"This has been on the to-do list, but has been accelerated by recent events," said Delta communications manager Morgan Durrant.

He added the bags will be rolled out to its entire fleet, starting with planes that fly international routes over water. Delta expects to have them on about 166 planes by the end of the year.

Virgin America and Alaska Airlines have already equipped aircraft with fire containment bags.

The bag used by Alaska Air can withstand temperatures of up to 3,200 degrees Fahrenheit.

Alaska Airlines vice president Tom Nunn said: "When it comes to safety on board our aircraft, we need to act quickly."

He said it took just two months from ordering the bags to having them on every jet in its fleet.

"An in-flight fire is one of the most dangerous conditions on an aircraft. These containment bags will keep a fire from spreading and causing further harm," he added.

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Editor for TravelMole North America and Asia pacific regions. Ray is a highly experienced (15+ years) skilled journalist and editor predominantly in travel, hospitality and lifestyle working with a huge number of major market-leading brands. He has also cover in-depth news, interviews and features in general business, finance, tech and geopolitical issues for a select few major news outlets and publishers.

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