Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links below. This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
American Airlines flight AA 357 from Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) was forced to divert to Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) after smoke began pouring from a passenger’s electronic device.
Crew members contained the smoke before landing, but the cabin was already filled and needed to be cleared. The aircraft had 160 passengers and six crew on board. Thankfully, no injuries were reported. There is no word as to what caused the device to smoke and passengers were accommodated on other flights. The originally scheduled AA 357 continued on to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) this morning.
American Airlines released the following statement:
We apologize to our customers for the inconvenience this caused and thank our crew for their professionalism.”
While it has not been said what type of device caused this smoke, airlines have been cracking down lately on power banks being used and taken onto aircraft. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and other agencies have banned power banks from checked luggage for years. Airlines have policies and make announcements on their websites and in person when checking bags to ask if there are any “lithium ion batteries” present. These portable chargers have been allowed in carry-on bags, but increased concerns around fire risks are making airlines around the world either stop their use or ban them altogether. Southwest Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, AirAsia, Emirates, Thai Airways, Qantas, Cathay Pacific, and EVA Air have all introduced their own restrictions.
Anthony’s Take: It’s good that no one was injured and that the aircraft safely landed. Smoke and fires caused from electronics overheating or malfunctioning is a bit scary. I’m glad airlines are starting to get stricter with their usage and transport.
(Image Credits: Airbus and FlightAware.)
User Generated Content Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat encourages constructive discussions, comments, and questions. Responses are not provided by or commissioned by any bank advertisers. These responses have not been reviewed, approved, or endorsed by the bank advertiser. It is not the responsibility of the bank advertiser to respond to comments.
Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.