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Airlines Restrict 'Smart Luggage' Over Fire Hazards Posed By Batteries (npr.org)

Posted by BeauHD on from the safety-first dept.

An anonymous reader quotes a report from NPR: Airlines including American, Delta and Alaska have announced restrictions on so-called smart luggage because the lithium-ion batteries found in many of these suitcases pose a fire risk. "Beginning Jan. 15, customers who travel with a smart bag must be able to remove the battery in case the bag has to be checked at any point in the customer's journey. If the battery cannot be removed, the bag will not be allowed," American said in a statement on Friday. The same day, Delta and Alaska announced similar policies on their flights.

American's policy dictates that if the bag is carry-on size, passengers can take the luggage onboard, so long as the battery can be removed if needed. If passengers need to check the bag, the battery must be removed and carried onboard. But if the bag has a non-removable battery, it can't be checked or carried on. An FAA spokesman told The Washington Post that the airlines' policies are "consistent with our guidance that lithium-ion batteries should not be carried in the cargo hold."

76 of 108 comments (clear)

  1. Battery type by b0s0z0ku · · Score: 1

    Can those bags use battery types other than Li-Ion? A few alkaline AA batteries should be enough to power a transmitter that takes a GPS reading and "squawks" location over the cell network every hour or so.

    1. Re:Battery type by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Funny

      But two AA batteries aren't enough to power it to constantly download a list of shops that sell lattes and sushi and automatically direct the owner to one if they pass within 20m of one and have not purchased a latte or sushi for 6 hours or more, nor can it keep up with Amazon's list of beard maintenance products and send purchase recommendations to the user every 13 minutes.

      Captcha: voyager

    2. Re:Battery type by OzPeter · · Score: 1

      Can those bags use battery types other than Li-Ion? A few alkaline AA batteries should be enough to power a transmitter that takes a GPS reading and "squawks" location over the cell network every hour or so.

      One of those "smart bags" https://travelmaterobotics.com... is effectively an autonomous vehicle* that homes in on your smart phone and follows you around. I doubt that a few Alkaline batteries would suffice for that concept.

      *I was dumbstruck by the promotional video on that site. Its has a huge amount of gratuitous sex themed iconography including a close up of a woman's chest as she takes off her leather jacket in order to stow it in this bag.

      I was also dumbstruck by the announcement on the page as well

      On December 7th at 11am, we'll be doing another demonstration, press conference and we'll also be discussing how Travelmate will change the way phone companies work.

      I need to get my buzz word bingo card ready for this one!

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    3. Re:Battery type by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      [by june,] So far this year the Federal Aviation Administration has reported at least 18 incidents involving lithium-ion batteries on airplanes and in airports, and there were 31 incidents in 2016. That compares with 16 incidents in 2015, nine in 2014, and eight in 2013.

      https://www.consumerreports.org/product-safety/whats-behind-the-increase-in-lithium-ion-battery-fires-on-planes/

      Anectdotes aren't data, but I was copilot when one lit off in our flight engineer's pocket. That was, in no small part, his fault for having it in a pocket with his keys, but that was the second time I've thrown thrown a burning battery out of an airplane. First was a NiCad for a mission system.

    4. Re: Battery type by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 4, Funny

      This is why I use that hosts file tool fromAPK on my smart luggage. Kernel level speed and great protection to keep my luggage running at peak efficiency! My luggage has never been more secure!

    5. Re:Battery type by rmdingler · · Score: 1

      RFID tags are available in active and passive types.

      The passive variety requires no battery on the item being tracked, but its range is limited at 10' to 600', depending on the type of reader.

      Active RFID tags broadcast their signal at predetermined intervals, but require an onboard battery. Some manufacturers are using lithium-thionyl chloride batteries, which may skirt the new regulations.

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    6. Re: Battery type by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Yeah, but does your luggage have 19 PCIe slots and a 1600 watt power supply?

    7. Re:Battery type by pahles · · Score: 1

      a close up of a woman's chest

      You must be new to the internet... Seriously: she took of her jacket, what did you expect to see? And you cannot really call that a close up.

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      Sig?
    8. Re:Battery type by aaarrrgggh · · Score: 1

      This is talking more about bags like g-ro, which are advertised as being able to charge your devices. Specific to the g-ro, it tie really just a pouch for a battery brick with integrated cables that theoretically make it easier to charge. I don’t think they are talking about things like Tile, which you can use to track your bag.

    9. Re:Battery type by OzPeter · · Score: 1

      a close up of a woman's chest

      You must be new to the internet...

      Seriously: she took of her jacket, what did you expect to see? And you cannot really call that a close up.

      The video framed her chest and excluded above and below. That's a closeup.

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    10. Re:Battery type by Nchantim · · Score: 1

      One of those "smart bags" https://travelmaterobotics.com... is effectively an autonomous vehicle* that homes in on your smart phone and follows you around.

      I want the kind with the legs.

    11. Re:Battery type by OzPeter · · Score: 1

      Its has a huge amount of gratuitous sex themed iconography including a close up of a woman's chest as she takes off her leather jacket in order to stow it in this bag.

      Err....so, you're saying you would rather look at a guys chest in the video....???

      Congratulations on your brand new bouncing baby logical fallacy. Is it your first for the day?

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    12. Re:Battery type by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      I like the idea of using 60 pounds of lead acid batteries. You need to have heavy duty dolly wheels on the luggage, but boy does it give those goons in TSA and the baggage thieves out on the concourse a workout.

    13. Re:Battery type by sunking2 · · Score: 1

      Honestly they should have gotten someone with nicer looking lower legs. She has no ankles.

    14. Re:Battery type by bickerdyke · · Score: 1

      For that use case, a plain old GPS tracker would be much cheaper. The main difference that speaks for integration is the use as a large powerbank and that calls for battery capacity and we're back at the Li-Ion

      --
      bickerdyke
    15. Re: Battery type by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 1

      Hey, you keep your eyes off my luggage.

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    16. Re:Battery type by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 1

      Watch the video again, she was 'framed' from the waist up. Her head was in the shot, as well as a space above her head. The video may be stupid and self-indulgent, but certainly not the sex show you claim.

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    17. Re:Battery type by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Bluetooth Low Energy uses 15 mA. You also need a little extra for the microchip as well. Coin cell batteries store about 250mAh. At that rate you only get about 15 hours of use (and the most common CR2032 type is still lithium anyway). That's enough for the airline to put a disposable tag on the luggage for all but a few long haul trips (ie not UK-Australia). But it's not practical for something built into the case. AA alkaline batteries do better at 1500-3000mAh so one battery could run for a week. That's workable for your own luggage providing you put a new battery in for every trip. An AAA battery would still be enough for a couple of days.

      One of the smart battery features is being able to charge your phone off of your luggage. That's never going to have enough power without a lithium ion battery though (or equivalent). I don't understand that though, I find all those chargers fail after a few months of use. It seems much better to have one you can pack into any luggage so you can have it in carry-on and replace if it fails without replacing your entire luggage. You don't need to charge your phone while your bag is in the hold after all.

    18. Re: Battery type by omnichad · · Score: 1

      Your luggage runs Windows?

    19. Re:Battery type by omnichad · · Score: 1

      You don't need to run it continuously. If it comes on for 10-15 seconds every 3 minutes, that's all you need. I'm not sure what good Bluetooth would be anyway - that can't transmit GPS coordinates. Wouldn't it be LTE? Bluetooth could only tell you your baggage is on the carousel - not that it was on another plane.

    20. Re:Battery type by cayenne8 · · Score: 1

      Honestly they should have gotten someone with nicer looking lower legs.

      She has no ankles.

      She has "cankles"??

      (That's where you can't tell where the calf ends and the ankle begins.....)

      ;)

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  2. Not the best time by hcs_$reboot · · Score: 1

    to purchase an iPhone.

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    1. Re:Not the best time by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      The batteries in an iGadget are removable. Here, let me show you how, with this cold chisel.

  3. Man, I am old by Kludge · · Score: 1

    WTF is "smart luggage"?
    Why would I want it?
    Is it even useful anymore if you have to take the battery out of it when traveling?

    1. Re:Man, I am old by jellomizer · · Score: 1

      I personally don't see the need for it, as most people with the money to get Smart Luggage will already have their phone handy on them. I also use this excuse for these smart speakers like Echo, and a similar argument with the Smart Watches. One Smart device is good enough for me.
       

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    2. Re:Man, I am old by adosch · · Score: 1

      AGREED, 100%. Wow. My definition of 'smart luggage' is a smart airline employee or 'the system' not 1) playing soccer with my bag, 2) forgetting to get it on the right end-route path and 3) getting it to the final destination in one piece. That's it. That's smart luggage to me.

    3. Re:Man, I am old by coofercat · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I'm old too. I must be super-old, because I still expect news outlets to tell me stuff like that, perhaps by something as antiquated as a hyperlink to a product page, or wikipedia or something.

      I did some googling and found this company: https://www.raden.com/ - even they don't seem to know what 'smart luggage' is, because their home page says almost nothing of any use. "Location awareness, proximity sensors leverage bluetooth technology" - say what now?

      As far as I can tell, it's a normal case, but it's got built in scales, presumably has a GPS location beacon, and can use it's battery to charge your phone. It's got a phone app which you can "pair seamlessly" (I should hope so really, but what does the app do?). Sounds pretty pointless to me, but apparently 100,000 people use them.

    4. Re:Man, I am old by Baron_Yam · · Score: 1

      >WTF is "smart luggage"?

      I have no idea but...

      >Why would I want it?

      Imagine a proximity alert to your phone or smart watch so if somebody tries to steal it while you're distracted, you get a notification. Perhaps with GPS in case they initially get away from you.

      Imagine a similar alarm on the zippers and pockets, so if someone tries to open your luggage, you know about it.

      Maybe hide a small camera in there that takes photos when the bag is opened, so you can have evidence of that TSA bastard stealing your stuff.

    5. Re:Man, I am old by will_die · · Score: 1

      It is luggage where just the piece of luggage takes up 1/4 or more of your weight allowance.

    6. Re:Man, I am old by GameboyRMH · · Score: 1

      To be fair, these bags are toys for the rich due to their cost. The people who can afford these bags can easily afford overweight bag fees, and often fly in first class where you are allowed, on paper, to carry bags of infinite mass.*

      *Obviously nobody has tried to pack a carry-on-sized solid billet of lead yet.

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    7. Re:Man, I am old by cjjjer · · Score: 1

      Most of what is being called "Smart Luggage" is just luggage that has a rechargeable battery pack incorporated into it with a couple of USB ports on it. However there are are other options to them http://www.travelandleisure.co...

    8. Re:Man, I am old by LynnwoodRooster · · Score: 1

      So it has an integrated Tile beacon in it? That, plus a switch (open/close sensor) would to it all!

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    9. Re:Man, I am old by Baron_Yam · · Score: 1

      Huh. If you're OK with Bluetooth range limitations, you can go on Aliexpress and get tags for under $2 each that you can remotely set to beep and blink with your smartphone.

      And, apparently, the app tags them so you can select which particular item you want, and notes the last known location so you can look it up on your map app and know where to start looking. (Not so useful in my most common scenario, it's not like it'll tell me which room in my house to go to, but great for letting me know if I left something at work)

      What's really wild is that the tags use button cells that are supposedly good for six months.

      I might have to buy a bag of them.

    10. Re:Man, I am old by swillden · · Score: 1

      Yeah, you're old. There's this new thing called "Google" that lets you find information about pretty much anything. :P

      (I suppose you could argue that the information should have been included in the summary. I don't really think that was necessary, though. All you really needed to know was that someone has begun building luggage with computers and batteries built in, and the FAA has a problem with it. The details of what the smart luggage does don't really matter.)

      WTF is "smart luggage"?

      Well, the top result on a web search found one example, described as:

      The SC 1 is the World’s smartest suitcase with advanced features including Robotic Biometric Lock, Global Tracker, Digital lift-less weighing system, Smart Battery, Bluetooth Audiophone, Proximity Sensor / Anti-theft Alerts, and full System Diagnostics that you control through your smart phone with the Planet Traveler APP. In addition to the app features the SC 1 also has a Hybrid Power Source, 3 USB Charging Ports featuring a 2.4 A turbo-charge USB port, Tamper Proof Zippers, Mobile Device storage compartment with RFID protection

      Why would I want it?

      Well, per that description, you'd want it if you'd like to:

      Open your luggage with your fingerprint, rather than fiddling with little combination wheels or key locks.
      Be able to locate where in the world your luggage is (I avoid this problem by never checking bags, but it's a real one).
      Be able to know how heavy your bag is without putting it on a scale.
      Have a portable power bank in your bag, for recharging your phone
      Have a handsfree speaker for your phone, or a speaker for playing music from your phone (presumably both with higher quality than your tiny phone speaker can do).
      Have your phone notify you if your bag is nearby, or if it's being stolen (also note the tracker).

      The rest of the stuff looks unrelated to the "smart" features.

      Is it even useful anymore if you have to take the battery out of it when traveling?

      Well, the FAA doesn't say you have to take it out when traveling, only when checking. And, yeah, that would seem to eliminate much of the value of the global tracker. The rest of the stuff would still be useful, I think.

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    11. Re:Man, I am old by Bing+Tsher+E · · Score: 1

      My smart watch sends out an audible alarm if I wander out of range of my smart phone. It's to protect me from forgetting my phone somewhere and becoming untrackable. It could become dangerous, like 1988 was, if I am unable to immediately make an emergency call any time I need to.

    12. Re:Man, I am old by Malc · · Score: 1

      Sounds like a waste of money gimic. Will they make the case robustness enough to survive the way airlines and airports treat out baggage?

    13. Re:Man, I am old by nospam007 · · Score: 1

      "I personally don't see the need for it, as most people with the money to get Smart Luggage will already have their phone handy on them"

      Me neither. I send my luggage in a steel container to and from the hotel with UPS, no hassle at all.

    14. Re: Man, I am old by Khyber · · Score: 1

      Your watch isnt very smart. Even Chinese phone watches from six years ago have standalone calling capability.

      --
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    15. Re:Man, I am old by Deadstick · · Score: 1

      Luggage that's stupid enough to catch fire.

    16. Re:Man, I am old by Mikkeles · · Score: 1

      'Obviously nobody has tried to pack a carry-on-sized solid billet of lead yet.'

      Well, being rich, they would obviously be carrying gold; which is also denser than load.

      --
      Great minds think alike; fools seldom differ.
    17. Re:Man, I am old by swillden · · Score: 1

      Sounds like a waste of money gimic. Will they make the case robustness enough to survive the way airlines and airports treat out baggage?

      Well, it's carbon fiber, similar to a bag that I have. Mine has proven to be very durable.

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    18. Re: Man, I am old by omnichad · · Score: 1

      I'm not sure that's a feature. Bluetooth LE uses far less battery than LTE and most cell companies charge an additional monthly fee to have another device connected to the network.

    19. Re:Man, I am old by gwjgwj · · Score: 1

      Or plutonium, which can be even denser.

  4. Finally! by Gravis+Zero · · Score: 1

    It's about time they started acknowledging the risk of current lithium battery chemistry! I hope they also begun carrying a metal box to throw electronics into for each plane because the thermal runaway reaction isn't going to stop until the battery has completely burned up.

    --
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    1. Re:Finally! by Neuronwelder · · Score: 1

      Excellent answer - metal box: You could even make it air proof to snuff the fire out. And connect the parachute with a long steel cable to keep flames from the parachute, And bay doors to open and drop the cargo in a safe area should things get thermally out of hand.

  5. Discworld Luggage by Roger+W+Moore · · Score: 4, Funny

    WTF is "smart luggage"?

    It seems to be an implementation of Discworld's "The Luggage" but with wheels not legs and hopefully without the homicidal tendencies...although perhaps that's why it needs to be banned.

  6. tsa stealable categoy by sjwest · · Score: 1

    Could mean that the tsa will steal it after being inspected - not a bomb - then it goes to wherever your shady tsa staff 'sell' stuff to.

  7. Make requirement for Tablets and Phones by prasadsurve · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Can they make same requirement for Tablets and Phones so that manufacturers bring back removable batteries?

    1. Re:Make requirement for Tablets and Phones by bws111 · · Score: 1

      Why? When has an airline ever prevented you from carrying your phone or tablet on-board? They do, however, sometimes prevent bags from being carried on.

    2. Re:Make requirement for Tablets and Phones by jaa101 · · Score: 1

      But that ban has nothing to do with their fear of lithium: it's because of the potential to replace some of the lithium with explosive.

  8. Re:for people curious about smart luggage by Opportunist · · Score: 1

    At least read TFS, we have found a problem!

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  9. Why restrict it to luggage? by mark-t · · Score: 1

    Shouldn't they be disallowing anything with a non-removable battery, perhaps anything rated above a certain number of milliamp-hours?

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    1. Re:Why restrict it to luggage? by bws111 · · Score: 1

      All Li-ion batteries are prohibited from being in checked luggage (they can be carried on). The difference with bags is that sometimes, for whatever reason, your 'carry-on' can not be carried on, and they check it for you at the gate. This could be because the bag is too large, or there isn't enough room, or for some other reason. With other devices, you just remove them before they take the bag and carry them on with you. If your BAG has a non-removable battery however, you are screwed as it can't be checked and it can't be carried on.

    2. Re:Why restrict it to luggage? by mark-t · · Score: 1

      Sure, but I find it weird that they would be restricting bags with non-removable batteries that are otherwise small enough to be carried on from being brought on board but not having similar restrictions for absolutely anything with non-removable batteries.

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    3. Re:Why restrict it to luggage? by jaa101 · · Score: 1

      perhaps anything rated above a certain number of milliamp-hours?

      You mean anything rated above a certain number of joules. Otherwise the's scope to just play with the voltage to skirt the regulations and using joules also levels the playing field amongst different battery chemistries.

    4. Re:Why restrict it to luggage? by mark-t · · Score: 1

      Fair point, although charge density in a portable device is typically more going to be more reflective of energy density in something than its voltage, even though energy is actually the product of both voltage rating and charge. In general, I would expect that manufacturers would not want to use higher voltage batteries than the minimum necessary to power consumer electronics devices anyways, in particular because it would almost certainly tend to be wasteful, and would probably also make the end-product less portable.

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    5. Re:Why restrict it to luggage? by jaa101 · · Score: 1

      I would expect that manufacturers would not want to use higher voltage batteries than the minimum necessary to power consumer electronics devices anyways

      A lithium ion cell is around 3.6V but laptop batteries are often 10.8V, i.e., three cells in series. This is despite the fact that most of the power is dissipated at much lower voltages. The reason is that, inevitably, voltage conversion is required and DC-DC conversion always loses at least a fraction of a volt. 0.3V is a small penalty at 10.8V but a large one at 3.6V. Another issue is that lower voltages mean proportionately higher currents (amps) for the same power requirements and that mean very heavy-duty connectors and wires.

      These "smart luggage" devices sound like they have high-power motors so they could easily be a higher voltage again compared to laptops. You could easily have phone batteries at 3.6V or 7.2V, laptops at 10.8V and luggage at 21.6V. The only way to make a fair comparison across all these device types is to use a unit of energy (like joules or watt-hours).

    6. Re:Why restrict it to luggage? by mark-t · · Score: 1

      Obviously you have to have your device voltage at a rating high enough to offer sufficient power at whatever amperage is applicable to the physical attributes of the device, but in general one is probably not going to go too much higher than that. The more voltage you have to cut out from your main power source as you drop the voltage down to the actual required voltage level, the more energy you are going to tend to waste as heat when it passes through the voltage regulator circuitry, which drastically shortens the useful life of the affected electronics.

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  10. Suggestion: Aircraft Ejector Chute by WheezyJoe · · Score: 2

    There's too many battery things to just prohibit them all. Prohibit them from the luggage compartment, but for the cabin, have aircraft include a small airlock so cabin crew can take your self-destructing phone or tablet or shoe-bomb and just chuck the thing overboard. Include disposable heat-resistant bags with little self-deploying parachutes to quickly distance it from the aircraft and so that some unlucky sod doesn't get killed when the flaming thing hits the ground.

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    1. Re:Suggestion: Aircraft Ejector Chute by redmid17 · · Score: 2

      So re-engineer every existing plane in the US? Fucking brilliant there. I'll let you suggest that to the airlines and the FAA.

    2. Re:Suggestion: Aircraft Ejector Chute by LeftCoastThinker · · Score: 1

      It is a lot easier to just have a few CO2 extinguishers on the plane and hit whatever is on fire with an extinguisher ASAP. The cabin may stink for the rest of the flight, but that is the quickest, safest way to put out something on fire.

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    3. Re:Suggestion: Aircraft Ejector Chute by omnichad · · Score: 1

      Doesn't water make a lithium battery fire worse?

    4. Re:Suggestion: Aircraft Ejector Chute by WheezyJoe · · Score: 1

      container designed to vent the fumes and keep the fire from spreading. It'll burn out eventually.

      I still say chuck it. Better than being forced to sit in a fume-filled cabin while the plane lands somewhere not your destination.
      The only downside I see with a convenient airlock eject-o-matic is someday they might make 'em big enough to toss an entire passenger.
      the cabin crew would love that. finally get some damn respect.

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    5. Re:Suggestion: Aircraft Ejector Chute by blindseer · · Score: 1

      Lithium battery fires cannot be put out with ABC extinguisher.

      That is a lie that a simple Google search could have shown. Lithium-ION batteries can be extinguished with common sodium carbonate (most kitchen or boat/auto class BC extinguishers) or dry chemical ABC extinguishers (mine have monoammonium phosphate, I assume this is common). Lithium-METAL battery fires might need class D fire extinguisher but not all class D fire extinguishers are for lithium fires. What many specialized lithium fire extinguishers will contain is sodium chloride (yep, common table salt), others will have some mix of materials that can stick to walls and such for more effective fire suppression.

      I'm no fire expert but it looks like saying one should have a class D extinguisher for lithium battery fires is either bad advice or merely insufficient. For a small fire one would have from a portable electronic device I'd think a common boat/auto BC extinguisher would do just as well as any specialized extinguisher. Sodium bicarbonate might not be ideal for a lithium metal fire but the 3 or 5 pounds of material in a common extinguisher against a couple button cells would seem more than sufficient to me. Again, I'm no expert so it's possible I'm mistaken.

      If fires from lithium-ion batteries concern you then a common class BC extinguisher is fine. If lithium metal batteries are a fire concern then think about how big that fire might be. Maybe just keep a box of table salt handy that you could get at any grocer for a buck or two just in case. If there is a concern of larger fires then get a proper extinguisher rated for specifically for lithium fires. Getting an extinguisher for other kinds of metals can mean doing no better than any other dry chemical extinguisher or possibly making the problem worse.

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  11. Smart luggage? by fredrated · · Score: 1

    What does it do, tell you when your underwear is dirty?

  12. Airlines: a race to the bottom by OneHundredAndTen · · Score: 1

    The experience of flying in commercial flights has never been overly pleasant. However, starting about twenty years ago it started to deteriorate even further, and today it has become a shameless race to the bottom. Airlines seem to be competing on the basis of who can inflict more nonsense and misery on passengers, while still getting away with making money. Hopefully, at some point the tide will turn - but that is unlikely to happen any time soon.

    1. Re:Airlines: a race to the bottom by volodymyrbiryuk · · Score: 1

      What a time to live in. Flying sucks more than using public transportation, luggage gets smarter as people get dumber.

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    2. Re:Airlines: a race to the bottom by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

      Gee, I wonder what happened "about twenty years ago" that made flying worse? You sure it wasn't about 16 years ago? Like maybe starting on September 11, 2001?

      --
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    3. Re:Airlines: a race to the bottom by thegarbz · · Score: 1

      However, starting about twenty years ago it started to deteriorate even further, and today it has become a shameless race to the bottom.

      Good. 20 years ago the thought of a flight to another country being less than the cost of the train to the airport was a fantasy. Now I basically do weekend trips all over the continent for less than the cost of a night out where I am going.

      Keep the race going, this has been great.

  13. Gee this rule will never get circumvented by redmid17 · · Score: 1

    Basically the only thing I see happening is people getting really pissed off if they check their luggage at the counter and it never shows up at their destination. Anything brought through security is deemed, well, "secure" so gate checking them isn't going to result in another screening. The airlines banning them from carry-on and checked will be able to do jackshiat about the former.

    It's like having the stewardess check to make sure every phone is off before the flight leaves and makes about as much sense..

  14. The reason by omfglearntoplay · · Score: 1

    As I recall, the reason they need the batteries in the passenger area is so if suddently a fire starts, you can grab it and "deal with it". Also they say fires are much more rare when the battery is in the device, and not just loose in luggage. I think the most common fires are when you have a few batteries loose in a bag and they touch something that allows a circuit to complete.

  15. Tinfoil Hat Time! by Thelasko · · Score: 1

    Sounds like the airlines don't want people to find out where all of the lost luggage goes!

    --
    One of our competitors trademarked the term "hypothesis". From now on, we will call them "boneheaded ideas".
  16. Any Port In A Storm by mentil · · Score: 1

    consistent with our guidance that lithium-ion batteries should not be carried in the cargo hold

    This is why I fill my luggage with flow batteries and rent out charging ports to other passengers. I just fly back and forth between LAX and JFK/LGA, it more than pays for the trip.

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    Corruption is convincing someone that the selfless ideal is the same as their selfish ideal.
  17. Darn! by Locke2005 · · Score: 1

    Now what am I going to do with my ride-on luggage! I guess I'll give up my plan to upgrade the motor and batteries to get up to 40mph going through the terminal...

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    I've abandoned my search for truth; now I'm just looking for some useful delusions.
  18. Next thing they will come for by goombah99 · · Score: 1

    is my hoverboard bad.

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    Some drink at the fountain of knowledge. Others just gargle.
  19. A solution looking for a problem by drsquare · · Score: 1

    This is what happens when your economy has run out of useful things to make but your economic model requires constant growth: fucking smart luggage.