Battery fire hazards

Gone Drinking

Smart luggage seems is taking off (no pun intended) at the moment. Google it, you'll see there's a lot of stuff coming out and some out at the moment.

Smart hand luggage has things like built in weighing scales, GPS and the ability to charge your phone 6 times, or your laptop 1 and a half times via built in battery pack.

Most of the people selling these bags so far are small startups, funded through the likes of indie gogo/kickstarter. The worry here is that they'll use cheap batteries that could be a potential problem on a plane. Especially given your hand luggage goes into a compartment, where it could be too late by the time you've noticed a problem.

I'm sure there'll be reputable manufactures making these things eventually, but there will always be a Chinese knockoff hanging around and that's worrying. Take for example those hover-boards that had batteries that caught fire randomly and thus were banned from planes.

What do you guys think? Blanket ban on these things, or at least rules to state that the battery has to be removed and stowed with you whilst flying? Or maybe you consider them not to be an issue at all, having the same likely hood as a laptop catch fire?

Personally, I think that only items with rated batteries should be allowed in the likes of this luggage and if present, the battery has to be removed to show its rating during security checks (this will present its own problems, I know). But overall, I'm hoping the luggage just doesn't take off. It's a bit gimmicky and pointless in my mind but I can see how it could be popular.

Locker10a

I think you're right and I think this may indeed pose a problem

Bazzy

I bought a cheap battery pack thingy that charges your phone or what not in Dublin airport ,

I was flying with FR and the cabin was full so my bag got checked in at the gate and went in the hold when I got to my destination it was late and I plugged it in to charge it had the correct plug for France ,

We went asleep in the room and one of the bucks smelt burning and the ye olde battery pack was very very warm .. and went into the bin the following day.

and that was bought in an airport just goes to show ya

Tenger

Bazzy wrote: »

I bought a cheap battery pack thingy that charges your phone or what not in Dublin airport ,

and that was bought in an airport just goes to show ya

2 points here....... it was a "cheap battery pack thing" and it was left charging overnight so was over charged which could lead to battery overload.
I never leave electrics charging overnight. I've been that way for 30 years and family still think I'm anal about it. My wife keeps leaving her phone plugged in,which is probably not too bad.

_Tombstone_

Tenger wrote: »

2 points here....... it was a "cheap battery pack thing" and it was left charging overnight so was over charged which could lead to battery overload.
I never leave electrics charging overnight. I've been that way for 30 years and family still think I'm anal about it. My wife keeps leaving her phone plugged in,which is probably not too bad.

Modern phones will charge to 100% then run off mains when left plugged in. Actually good for battery in long run as regards life cycles.

Gone Drinking

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_Busan_Flight_391

Looks like this was caused by a lithium battery in the overhead

Banzai600

ppl are completely oblivious / ignorant to battery safety on an aircraft , you're always weary of ppl who buy cheap as* chargers / battery packs etc. then you wonder whats in the hold in suitcases…..

our battery packs come with us in the backpack on the plane, never in the suitcase for the very reason its potentially dangerous - even though they are a certified power pack.

donkey balls

Afaik lithium batteries is what caused the UPS 747 crash 15 year ago, Looks like they were loaded on a skid in the fwd hold at the time.I just did my refresher for the carriage of DG for road transport( Use to be a DG specialist for cargo aircraft and for road transportation). So at present the batteries go under UN class 9 miscellaneous and with a limited amount per package in UN approved packaging.

Years ago we would have IDG (Inaccessible dangerous goods) these could be loaded in the hold ADG (Accessible dangerous goods) was maindeck so the crew could access them in the event of a fire etc.

I'm not sure since the 747 crash wether the batteries loaded in bulk are placed on the maindeck these days.

As for cheap battery packs the same also goes for phone chargers, Myself personally i carry 1 battery pack in my carry on bag while travelling.