Alaska Airlines said it has removed all of its new credit card reading machines after a overheating battery led to an emergency landing.
Alaska Airlines flight 17 from Newark to Seattle had to divert to Buffalo shortly after take-off and was carrying 181 passengers and six crew members.
Alaska said in a statement there were no visible flames but an extinguisher was used ‘to stop the device from smoking’ in the rear galley.
A flight attendant reportedly tossed the machine into a trash can and put it out with the extinguisher.
The airline said it was caused by a lithium battery overheating in a portable point of sale (PoS) terminal used to charge customers for onboard purchases such as drinks, Wi-Fi or seat upgrades.
The PoS card reader was a new model recently installed on Alaska jets and now have all been removed while they are inspected.
The incident comes just three days after the Federal Aviation Administration backed a ban of bulk shipments of rechargeable lithium batteries on passenger planes.
"We believe the risk is immediate and urgent," FAA safety official Angela Stubblefield said at a public meeting on the matter.
