TIL Desk/Business/Washington-Passengers and flight crews will be banned from bringing Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on airline flights under an emergency order issued by the Department of Transportation in response to reports of the phones catching fire.
The order issued yesterday, which goes into effect today at noon EDT, says the phones may not be carried on board or packed in checked bags on flights to and from the United States or within the country. The phones also can’t be shipped as air cargo. Passengers caught attempting to travel with the phones will have the phones confiscated and may face fines, the department said.
Samsung has recalled more than 2.5 million of the smartphones, citing a battery manufacturing error. The South Korean company discontinued the product earlier this week, less than two months after its August release. The Consumer Product Safety Commission says there have been nearly 100 reports of batteries in Note 7 phones overheating in the US One fire erupted on a Southwest Airlines flight earlier this month. In another case, a family in St. Petersburg, Florida, reported a Galaxy Note 7 phone left charging in their Jeep caught fire, destroying the vehicle.
