As More Devices Board Planes, Travelers Are Playing With Fire [telecom]

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As More Devices Board Planes, Travelers Are Playing With Fire

By Christine Negroni

The batteries in phones and laptops pose fire hazards, and experts caution that the odds could catch up with the air-traveling public.

The Federal Aviation Administration, citing fire hazards, has warned against using Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on aircraft. Three Australian airlines and the German carrier Lufthansa have outright banned their use onboard.

But the threat of airliner fires is not limited to Samsung devices, which the company has offered to replace. And the hazard is far more than theoretical.