Her Headphones Caught Fire On A Plane. 5-Point Safety Guide For You
A woman suffered burns to her face and hands after her headphones caught fire during a flight
Here are 5 points we put together for you:
- The most important advice while dealing with electronics, in-flight and on ground, is to use original batteries and chargers. Over the years, cheap / counterfeit chargers / batteries have been found to be the root cause behind most fires / explosions, though the Galaxy Note 7-related incidents were obviously an exception.
- While most headphones do not come with batteries, if your headphones do, follow the same precautions as with any other electronics.
- Whenever possible, do not check-in battery-powered devices, and carry them in your cabin baggage. In the cabin, airline flight crews can better monitor conditions, and have access to the batteries or device if a fire does occur.
- Spare batteries and power banks should be carried in the cabin baggage, and shouldn't be checked-in.
- If you're travelling with spare batteries in addition to the ones inside your devices, TSA advises you to "consider placing each battery in its own protective case, plastic bag, or package, or place tape across the battery's contacts to isolate terminals".