Why?
(Yahoo Travel) There is new controversy over the use of electronic cigarettes on airplanes — but this time instead of it being about the health effects of the “vaping†on fellow passengers, it’s about fire safety. After an e-cigarette burned a hole in a passenger’s checked luggage at Logan International Airport in Boston, airport officials are calling for federal officials to classify the devices as hazardous materials, according to The New York Times.
On Saturday, August 9, passengers were evacuated from a JetBlue flight to Buffalo, New York, when baggage handlers smelled smoke. The smoldering bag was removed from the plane and put out with a fire extinguisher. But if the flight had actually taken off, things could have been very different, pointed out Ed Freni, director of aviation with the Massachusetts Port Authority.
The culprit seems to have been an e-cigarette. “The more you see these type of items sold out there, the more our industry has to take a closer look at them, as we’ve done with other hazardous materials,†Freni told The New York Times.
But, wait, there’s a rub
And though the Massachusetts Port Authority blames the e-cigarette for the incident, the Massachusetts Department of Fire Services said the cause had not yet been determined.
Huh. How about that.
Anyhow, let’s stipulate that it was an e-cig that caused this. This was one incident. This could also happen with any device that uses a rechargeable or regular battery. Laptops, phones, cameras, tablets. Flashlights. Electric razors. Adult toys. Everyone needs to relax, take a deep breath, and not over-react.
Remember, though, we still aren’t allowed to profile the people who are the most danger to commercial aviation.
