Samsung Tablet / phone problems (Combined)

[Twiglet1]

Do pax airlines carry IPAD fire bags nowdays?

[RevMan2]

Australian carriers acted speedily to the Galaxy 7 recall by making the traveling public aware of the issue well before the FAA's ruling came into force on 9 Sep.
The carrier I flew intra-EU with was at the time claiming (so their social media feeds) to be making onboard announcement.
Nothing on 11 Sep, they were doing it on13 Sep saying "don't use/load/look at and DEFINITELY not in your checked baggage" after pushback.
During the entire online checkin (or kiosk)/bagdrop process, there was NOTHING to advise passengers of the risks.
Nothing visible on the airline's website (it's hidden under a second layer "Travel Information" heading and then tagged on to a topic addressing hoverboards. )

Which means that no-one knew not to pack a Galaxy 7 in their baggage.

Heaps of slices of Swiss cheese, the holes all nicely lined up....
(The airline involved wasn't interested in looking into the shortcomings in their processes, btw..)

[Lancelot de boyles]

The airline involved wasn't interested in looking into the shortcomings in their processes, btw..

Are you surprised?
In light of the recent revelations, there was a company statement issued regarding these Samsung phones as personal equipment.
I raised a query regarding the potential for transport (as DG) in cargo, with our relevant folks. Specifically, whether there were any extra efforts beyond recording the carriage of Lithium cells in general, in the DG NoToC.
The reply that I got completely missed the point, but I was offered extra training/guidance in how to handle a personal phone using the big red book, when next I'm in the office.

[RevMan2]

Something that's vaguely related to people not thinking processes through tyo the logical end
Samsung's recalling 2.5m phones and requires owners to send them in, upon receipt of which Samsung will forward replacements.
DHL/FedEx/UPS et al are supposedly saying "Transport damaged lithium batteries? Not a chance"
Square 1...

[Johnny F@rt Pants]

Samsung tablet thermal runaway

Haven't seen anything here relating to another lithium ion battery incident recently that resulted in a Delta flight diverting whilst en route from DTW to AMS into MAN.

Incident: Delta B764 near Manchester on Sep 25th 2016, tablet battery thermal runaway

Seem to be becoming a bad habit of Samsung devices recently

[safelife]

My understanding is that the tablet got into the seat. Business class seats with their complicated and inaccessible mechanism are ideally suited to trap mobiles phones and eventually crush them when they are moved once it is somewhere inside. Happens all the time, I retrieved lots of phones out of those seats while flying long haul.

[Ian W]

I was told if phones get dropped down the various spaces around the seat cushion do not use any of the seat mechanisms especially business seat powered controls. There is normally a flight attendant who can disassemble the cushioned cladding and get into the seat to retrieve what was dropped. (Watched this mid-Atlantic a couple of times).

[Safe-T]

ATSB reported today on an actual ignition of a litium battery on a QF 747.
Crushed by seat. Crew handled it by the book it seems:

https://aviation-safety.net/wikibase/wiki.php?id=190393

[dartmoorman]

[TURIN]

Just to add that apparently the Delta divert to MAN involved a tablet that had been lost down a seat on a previous flight and not recovered. Hmmm.

[dartmoorman]

With the proliferation of these "smart" devices it seems to me it is only a matter of time before a serious incident occurs . And only a few days ago a news report in the UK about vaping batteries ( cheap Chinese imports ) exploding ......

[Ian W]

Although seats are meant to be fire retardant, considering the potential hazard and demonstrated occurences, perhaps it is time for the seat manufacturers to consider designs that do not allow passenger carried items to 'drop through the cracks' in the seat.

[dartmoorman]

"As of September 15, 2016, 129 air/airport incidents involving lithium batteries carried as cargo or baggage that have been recorded since March 20, 1991"

http://www.faa.gov/about/office_org/...dent_chart.pdf

[deeceethree]

Be careful about which Samsung device you are referring to ...

Heard a briefing last week where we were told 'please tell a member of the cabin crew if you have a Samsung 7 in your hold luggage so we can delay the flight'.

Australian carriers acted speedily to the Galaxy 7 recall by making the traveling public aware of the issue well before the FAA's ruling came into force on 9 Sep.
......
Which means that no-one knew not to pack a Galaxy 7 in their baggage.

A couple of the posts here have used the term "Samsung 7" or "Galaxy 7" when referring to the recent battery fire and recall issues experienced by some Samsung device owners. Be very careful with the terminology you use when describing the actual problem device because the problem exists specifically with the Samsung Galaxy Note7. Samsung has two other similarly named devices that are not subject to the problems and recall action, these are the Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge.

It is the Samsung Galaxy Note7 with it's stylus pen that you need to be careful about, and I believe it is the versions purchased before 15 September that have the faulty battery. Samsung has begun an international recall program to exchange potentially faulty Note7 devices with new ones that have a reliable battery. Of course, it will likely be some time before regulatory authorities and airlines revise their newly-announced rules to deal with the carriage of the Galaxy Note7, so even versions that have the newer battery will undoubtedley get swept up up in not being allowed to be carried or turned on etc.

The Samsung Galaxy Note7 is easily identified from the other two devices because it has a stylus pen that is stored by sliding it up into a receptacle hole on the bottom right-hand corner of the device. So, just be sure you know which particular device you are actually referring to before anyone is accused of maligning owners of the Galaxy S7 or Galaxy S7 Edge smartphones.

PS: No, I am not affiliated with Samsung in any way, but I do own a Galaxy S7 and I do fly large passenger-carrying airliners for a living.

[SMT Member]

Samsung's recalling 2.5m phones and requires owners to send them in, upon receipt of which Samsung will forward replacements.
DHL/FedEx/UPS et al are supposedly saying "Transport damaged lithium batteries? Not a chance"
Square 1...

What makes you think the faulty units will be shipped all the way back to Korea? The logistics cost would be astronomical, and for what gain? Harvesting a processor or some other fancy bits? The 'new' Note7 has changed it's internal architecture, so you probably can't swap things over easily. But, that's besides the point. Point is, it'll cost a serious lot and be a major hassle, shipping a couple million units back to the mothership for little, if any, gain. They'll be tossed on-site, crushed properly at re-cycling centres. Which, incidentally, will also cost them a fair deal of money - but far, far less than shipping them home.

[Ian W]

deeceethree:

It is the Samsung Galaxy Note7 with it's stylus pen that you need to be careful about, and I believe it is the versions purchased before 15 September that have the faulty battery. Samsung has begun an international recall program to exchange potentially faulty Note7 devices with new ones that have a reliable battery.

I seriously doubt with the number of different PEDs and cell phones around that cabin crew will be able to identify the Galaxy Note 7 from a Galaxy 7 or a Galaxy Note 5 or even an LG or HTC phone. There will even be some pax that are uncertain what phone they have. Although Samsung have had around 40 problem devices per million of the type with a misdesigned battery, they are not the only company to have had incendiary phones or laptops.
It would make sense to have standard rules for all devices with lithium batteries. For example devices should always be completely shut down if put in the overheads or in underseat luggage space. The only time the devices can be on or be charged is when the pax have them out. All flights should carry containers or bags that can be filled with water to immerse an e-cigarette, a PED or a laptop with a runaway battery. The cabin crew should be trained in actions in the rare event that one of these devices overheats.

Expecting crew and pax to identify particular models of PED is asking a lot.

[Lancelot de boyles]

Question-

A galaxy Note 7 which previously would be covered in one way or other, under handling guidelines of dangerous goods due it's battery. Now under recall, can you reasonably say it's still covered under the same guidelines as the same device/risk?

Answers on a fire retardant postcard, please.


Personally, I'd say it no longer complies, simply because it appears more likely to present a (rather serious) problem than other similar devices. Hence the recall.
And equally personally, I'm not too keen on them being included in freight somewhere just behind me, whether I know about it, or un-declared.

[Noxegon]

Meanwhile, an apparently safe replacement Note 7 bids goodbye cruel world:

Replacement Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phone catches fire on Southwest plane - The Verge

[pax britanica]

A very unpleasant thought , and I am not sure of the chemistry and physics involved but bringing one of these devices aboard an airliner is essentially bringing and incendiary device on board, whether the otherwise harmless device randomly decides to cook off on its own or not are they not a risk in the event the bad guys find a way of making sure they do go into thermal.

obviously you would need some form of complex manipulation of the battery and its its power output needing a computer to manage , but then they are encased in a computer anyway. Seem very scary to me and I have to say i am not sure they belong on an aircraft if penknives, bottles of water and tubes of toothpaste are all banned.

[olandese_volante]

in the event the bad guys find a way of making sure they do go into thermal

Forcefully bending or crushing the device will most likely cause enough damage to the battery to persuade it to short out and catch fire. No complex manipulation or computer skills required.
However, such fires are easily dealt with by cabin personnel as has been pointed out earlier in this thread. I'd dismiss the threat of a "bad guy" trying to bring down an airliner with his smartphone battery as "not very credible".
As for eventual attempts to have a device cook off while in checked luggage in the hold, I understand that most airlines already have a policy that dictates such devices be carried in cabin luggage only.