Virgin flight diverts due to cabin fire
 

Sounds like a Lion power pack was crushed an ignited, very concerning

https://metro.co.uk/2019/07/05/uk-bo...fire-10118204/

Slightly surprised anyone needs either a power pack (or charger) today as USB ports are so readily available.

Power packs are banned from checked bags by many airlines and extending this ban to include usage on board would seem to make sense?

Some airlines include in their safety briefing cards that if a phone or battery pack is lost down into seating to call cabin staff and for passengers not to attempt to retrieve on their own.
I can well imagine that an otherwise safe battery pack might become problematic if munched in a seat mechanism or otherwise damaged by heavy-handed retrieval.

There is no intrinsic reason for a small battery pack to be anymore troublesome than a phone.
The exceptions being that some of these the battery packs may not be subject to the same design restrictions and scrutiny to which cell phones are subjected.

Many power banks are advertised on a well-known auction site with the rider "If we printing capacity, the product can not be allowed to transport by the plane, we hope you can understand this".

Only just.

Don't think I'd be buying one of those.
But I guess others would.
Mine says Hitachi and I'm not expecting any problems.

Aaah, the Power pack. Designed for phone addicts and those with terrible forward planning skills or maybe they simply own an iPhone? :E

Love cabin crew who get it out fast .

This BBC report of the incident includes a video which I think is of a different event as it does not appear to be in a first class cabin. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-48879379

I find it unbelievable that most peoples reactions were either to get their mobile phones out to film the fire or to shout a lot - surprisingly neither of these will do anything to prevent the fire spreading!

RYR BCN-IBZ, according to the video. Presumably the July 2018 incident, unless it has happened to them again.

That BBC report also has a quote from an adjacent passenger suggesting that it was the seat and not a charger or phone that started the fire.
Having said that, I've lost count of the number of phones/chargers etc I've been asked to recover from seats. Usually business/first class where the owner has no idea it was lost until they try to find it after landing.
I even found a large tablet that was jamming one seat. We were called to fix the seat, the tablet had been 'mislaid' on a previous flight and not been reported!

Mind how you go.

As an iPhone user - you are spot on. My powerbank is huge and heavy. And yes, I'm terrified of it. It could burn down my house, or worse, a plane.

Perhaps lipo bags should be mandatory? I'm not sure if they work with li-ion?

I could understand a passenger thinking it was the seat that caused the fire, if the powerpack fell inside it, was crushed and then set the seat alight.

Last year, I inadvertently dropped my smartphone into a lie flat bed on RJ, but aware of the potential outcome, reported it to the crew. It was a b*gger of a job opening the seat up to get it (I helped them, by holding back some parts as they worked. They wouldn't hear my apology for the inconvenience, though, as they were so relieved and pleased I'd got them in the loop ASAP, before anything happened.

Ah OK a Ryanair flight to Ibiza - probably shouldn't be too surprised at their reactions then :)

I routinely travel with a power-pack. It's part of my basic forward planning! If my phone dies I can have a number of difficulties and I like to listen to audio books and music from my phone on my (rechargeable) headset.

There are plenty of aircraft flying intercontinental without recharging facilities at every seat, and those that are there sometimes don't work. For a start, the KLM 747's flying to Africa (when will they be retired) have no power available at the seats.

I can understand airport fire fighters boarding the aircraft, prior to passenger evacuation, to assess what was apparently reported as an extinguished or smoldering fire, but I can't understand the passengers being held in the onboard smoky environment for an hour afterwards. Methinks someone has some explaining to do.

I can sense the lawyers circling as we speak, since these poor passengers were forced to breathe contaminated air. All kidding aside, I would not be surprised if some PAX suffered genuine respiratory distress.

Cheers,
Grog

Shouting would use up the available oxygen quicker, thereby extinguishing the fire! :8 :} :ok:

Spare a thought for those of us that must use a powerbank on board. How else can I keep my EFB charged on a 15 hour flight, if the aircraft doesn't have a power socket by my seat or it does but is unserviceable?

What gets me is that when a aircraft has to divert and cannot continue the flight that the passengers are upset the Airline keeps them in the dark.(= compensation)
I would personally prefer to be kept in the dark so long as we were safe on the ground and not a smouldering hole in the ground.
Airlines want to get us on our way and not be a long further drain on their system and I am sure they are doing what they can. But until someone higher up and probably not at the airport can organise a aircraft and crew we would just have to sit there.

Airlines are seldom altruistic about passenger well-being once those passengers are on the ground. Similarly, they are sometimes outright deceitful.

As an example, after being diverted to some place other than my intended destination, I would like both the opportunity and the information necessary for ME to make a decision about what I would like to do about the rest of my journey.
Airlines will always try to put in place their preferred contingency plan. If providing accurate and honest information to passengers might result in those passengers opting to cancel their onward journey or use an alternate carrier, the airlines WILL avoid providing that information.

That's the sort of thing that gets peoples backs up.

Admittedly and unfortunately, for some (quite a few) this all may just seem to be an opportunity for compensation.
That does not give the right for airlines to conceal what is happening or intended. But they do.