US: FAA warns airlines about fire threat from electronics in checked bags

As airlines flying into the US adjust to new, tighter security rules designed to catch bombs or explosives hidden in electronic devices, the DoT is weighing in on the safest place in a plane for laptops, tablets and other devices powered by lithium-ion batteries. It is not in the cargo hold, according to the FAA. The agency's Office of Hazardous Materials Safety says portable electronic devices pose less of a fire threat when carried on-board instead of being packed into checked bags. In a notice the agency issued earlier this week, the FAA said, "devices containing lithium metal or lithium ion batteries (laptops, smartphones, tablets, etc.) should be transported in carry-on baggage and not placed in checked baggage." The primary reason laptops are safer in the passenger cabin is because the flight crew or passengers at least have a chance to put out a fire if one is sparked by the batteries in an electronic device. That conclusion is not an edict banning airlines from allowing passengers to put their electronics in checked bags. In fact, the agency says if devices are packed in bags that will go in the cargo hold of flights, they "should be completely powered down to the OFF position (they should not be left in sleep mode), protected from accidental activation, and packed so they are protected from damage."<br/>