On Friday, passengers on a Delta Air Lines flight received a scare when a phone battery caught fire and filled a portion of the cabin with smoke.
According to The Virginian-Pilot, Delta Air Lines Flight 2557 was en route from Norfolk, Virginia to Atlanta when a fire was reported in Row 34 about 15 minutes into the journey. The battery that burst into flames was not attached to a phone at the time of the incident, and it was unclear what kind of phone the battery was from.
There were no reported injuries during the incident.
A witness on the plane said the cabin began to smell of smoke and then passengers noticed the cabin filling up with it. Flight attendants found the smoldering battery and extinguished the fire with the help of several military veterans on the plane.
Passengers in the area of the fire were moved to the front of the aircraft and were instructed to sit on the floor. Attendants removed the seat cushions damaged by the fire, and the cabin was cleared of smoke a short time later.
Witnesses claim the airline told all of the passengers to keep their Samsung Galaxy Note7 phones turned off and not to charge them, due to a recent recall associated with fires caused by faulty batteries.
Following the fire onboard, attendants told everyone to turn off all cell phones.
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Some passengers are just impervious to instructions. You see them using their phones during flight even after all have been instructed to switch off their phones. Same with seat belts. The moment the plane touches down, you start hearing clicks of seat belt buckles unlocking as if they are in a hurry to get off the plane. Some are so addicted to phones that they find it difficult to stop fidgetting with their phones. I think more stringent method should be used to prevent phone induced fire incidents in aircrafts. I suggest everyone should submit their phones to the cabin crew who will then ensure the phones are off and then lock them up inside a fire proof container throughout the duration of the flight. Passengers can the pickup their phones as they alight. Tags could be provided for easy identification just as we do to items in the luggage compartment. This will reduce the risk of a few passengers putting the lives of other passengers and crew members in danger.