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Airlines Restrict 'Smart Luggage' Over Fire Hazards Posed By Batteries (npr.org)
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."
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."
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
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!
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.
Can they make same requirement for Tablets and Phones so that manufacturers bring back removable batteries?
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.
Take it easy, Charlie, I've got an Angle...