The three largest U.S. airlines said Friday their staffs will tell passengers to power off Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones before and during flights due to worries about the phone’s fire-prone batteries.
American, Delta and United Airlines agreed to take new precautions to avoid an incident after the Federal Aviation Administration announced Thursday that passengers should not use the devices while traveling by air.
Singapore Airline Ltd, Australia’s Qantas Airlines Ltd, Jesetar Airways and Virgin Australia Holdings Ltd. also took steps to prevent fires aboard planes by prohibiting customers from turning on or charging their devices when on the plane.
But banning certain travelers’ use of phones could be difficult for flight attendants, one expert explained.
“Can anybody tell that particular model of phone by sight?” consultant Robert Mann told Reuters. He said it will be difficult to discern a faulty Note 7 from a replaced version. “It’s going to set up a persistent issue over time.”
Samsung recalled the Note 7 in 10 international markets last week, including the U.S.
