Southwest Airlines unveils new portable charger rule for passenger safety
Travelers will need to follow a new rule regarding juicing up their devices while flying on Southwest Airlines.
The Texas-based airline will be "requiring customers to keep portable charging devices visible while in use during flight," a Southwest spokesperson said in a statement to Fox News Digital.
"Using portable charging devices while stored in a bag or overhead bin will no longer be permitted," the spokesperson added.
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"Nothing is more important to Southwest than the safety of its customers and employees."
A passenger's battery charger recently caught fire on a JetBlue flight from Florida to the Bahamas, Business Insider reported.
Smoke and flames erupted in the cabin of the flight due to the portable charger overheating in the passenger’s carry-on luggage.
Portable chargers, or power banks, are not allowed in checked bags but can be packed in carry-on bags as they have lithium-ion batteries, according to TSA.
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The FAA website notes that "all lithium-ion batteries are capable of overheating and experiencing a process called thermal runaway."
"Thermal runaway can occur without warning as a result of various factors, including if the battery is damaged, overheated, exposed to water, overcharged, or improperly protected."
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The policy will begin on May 28. Customers with the Southwest app have shared that they are receiving notifications about the policy already.
In the "r/SouthwestAirlines" forum on Reddit, a user shared a screenshot of the notification, titling the post, "I had no idea this was an issue."
The post said, "Got this pop-up for the first time, and I'm baffled."
The notification showed a battery graphic saying, "If you use a power bank during your flight, keep it out of your bag and in plain sight. Do not charge [the] device in the overhead bin."