Southwest Airways is implementing a rule later this month that can require flyers who use moveable chargers and batteries whereas touring on their flights to maintain the electronics in plain sight, citing potential hearth dangers.
The airline stated the regulation will take impact Could 28 and that some clients could begin getting notifications about it on its cellular app.
“Southwest will introduce a first-in-industry Security coverage on Could 28, requiring Clients to maintain moveable charging units seen whereas in use throughout flight,” the airline told The Hill in an emailed statement. “Utilizing moveable charging units whereas saved in a bag or overhead bin will now not be permitted.”
“Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of its Customers and Employees,” the corporate spokesperson wrote.
The Dallas-based airline pointed to security causes for introducing the brand new coverage after plenty of incidents of lithium batteries overheating or catching hearth. The corporate argued that by conserving the batteries in plain sight, crew members would have fast entry, permitting for sooner intervention.
Southwest is the primary U.S.-based airline to institute such a coverage.
To this point, there have been 9 verified and one other 10 incidents pending verification concerning lithium battery incidents involving smoke, hearth and excessive warmth, based on Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) information final up to date April 3.
The Transportation Safety Administration does permit vacationers to have energy banks in carry-on luggage, however they don’t seem to be allowed in checked baggage.
