Samsung Galaxy Note 7 banned from Canadian and U.S. flights
Passengers who try to fly with the phones will have the phones confiscated, may face fines
Passengers and flight crews will be banned from bringing Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on airline flights under emergency orders issued Friday by both Transport Canada and the U.S. Department of Transportation in response to reports of the phones catching fire.
The orders, which are effective immediately in Canada and at noon ET Saturday in the U.S., say the phones may not be carried on board or packed in checked bags on flights to and from Canada and the United States or within either country. The phones also can't be shipped as air cargo.
Air Canada said Saturday that as result of new regulations, it will not permit those particular Samsung devices aboard its aircraft effective immediately.
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Passengers with the phones will not be allowed to board planes. And those who try to evade the U.S. ban by packing the phones in checked luggage may be subject to criminal prosecution in addition to fines. Transport officials in both countries warned that carrying the phones in checked luggage increases the potential danger to the flight.
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 U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission says there have been nearly 100 reports of batteries in Note 7 phones overheating in the United States. One fire erupted on a Southwest Airlines flight earlier this month. In another case, a family in St. Petersburg, Fla., reported a Galaxy Note 7 phone left charging in their Jeep caught fire, destroying the vehicle.
Transport Canada and the U.S. Federal Aviation Administration had previously warned passengers not to pack the phones in their checked bags and to power them off and not charge them while on board planes.
"We recognize that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority," said U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx. "We are taking this additional step because even one fire incident inflight poses a high risk of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk."