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ASSOCIATED PRESS
Dee Decasa held her replacement Galaxy Note 7 smartphone in an aluminum pan at her home in Honolulu on Oct. 10, one day after the phone released smoke and sizzled.
WASHINGTON » The Transportation Department is issuing an emergency order banning passengers and flight crews from bringing Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on airline flights in response to reports of the phones catching fire.
The order goes into effect Saturday at 6 a.m. Hawaii time. It says the phone may not be carried on board or packed in checked bags on flights to and from the United States or within the country. The phones also can’t be shipped as air cargo.
The department says passengers who attempt to travel with the phones will have the phones confiscated and may face fines.
Hawaiian Airlines and Island Air said Friday that beginning today they will not be embarking passengers who have these phones.
Samsung recalled more than 2.5 million of the smartphones and discontinued the product earlier this week.
Numerous fires have been reported, including one on a Southwest Airlines flight earlier this month.
Safety first
I recently returned from a trip on Hawaiian Airlines and was asked if I had a Galaxy 7 phone. I thought it funny that they now have to ask this but I’m glad they’re checking. Wouldn’t want to be on board a flight with a phone that catches on fire!
So how is the gate agent going determine that a phone is a Note 7 versus a Note 6, or other similar looking Samsung phone of the same size and shape?
GA: Sir, you can’t board with that phone.
PAX: Why?
GA: It’s a Note 7.
PAX: No its not. Here, I’ll turn it on and show you.
GA: Sir you may not turn on that phone and if you do I’ll have to deny you boarding.
PAX: But, but …
GA: Pam, call security to Gate 16.
I get why they don’t want the Note 7 on the planes but I don’t know how it is going to be enforced.