Can You Carry a Power Bank While Travelling in Flight? Horrific In-flight Video from 'China Southern Airlines' will Shock You
It took the airlines three hours for a replacement aircraft for the same flight.
A fire broke out in China Southern Airlines CZ3539 from Guangzhou to Shanghai and smoke began to fill in the cabin, causing panic among the passengers. The fire started in the overhead compartment because a power-bank caught fire. Although no injuries were reported in this incident as it was quickly brought under control. We keep hearing about gadgets catching fire, especially mobile phones but now a power bank has proved dangerous. This once again brings into notice if carrying such electronics is safe.
The cabin crew quickly evacuated the plane and put out the flames with bottles of water and juice. Eventually, the security and fire crews came aboard to get it under further control. A video was taken on board and it shows how the fire flames started in the overhead compartment, it is a little shocking since the plane would take off in a while and such an incident mid-air could have proved more fatal. The owner of the bag was taken in for questioning although the power bank was not in use at the time of the fire. But it seems it was a lithium-ion battery. It took the airlines three hours for a replacement aircraft for the same flight.
Check out the video of the fire in plane
This is not the first time, however, a fire has been reported on a plane. In March last year, a woman from Melbourne suffered burns when her battery-operated headphones had caught fire. Thankfully then too the crew members were quick to respond. But such fire incidents cannot be neglected, especially when you are travelling mid-air which is why some airlines are very strict about carrying gadgets on board.
Should you carry your power bank while travelling in flight?
All airlines do allow getting power banks on board but one should carry it compulsorily in your hand luggage. Power banks cannot be kept in checked in luggage. If the power is less than 100WH then they can be carried without approval. Power banks with power above 100WH have to be carried with approval of the air carrier. A passenger cannot carry more than two power banks. In some flights, it is not allowed to use the power bank while some flights allow the usage. It also depends on the size of the gadget. A 100WH to 160WH is generally allowed on all airlines. It is always advisable to ask/read the rules of concerned airlines before you plan to carry along such battery-operated gadgets.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Feb 27, 2018 05:35 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).