Commercial air travel sucks. Even if you get good flights, fancy seats, and frequent flyer perks, you’re still subject to endless variables out of your control. Last weekend, the people onboard United Airlines flight UA12 from Zurich to Chicago experienced the latter after a stuck laptop caused them to divert, perform an unplanned landing in Ireland, remain there overnight, and ultimately land at their destination 27 hours late. Boy.
You might be wondering: “WTF?” As you may already know, devices with lithium-ion batteries pose a fire risk. If they get punctured, they can burn. This risk is taken quite seriously by airlines worldwide, mostly because a fire breaking out mid-flight is much more dangerous than one on the ground. This is why you may have heard a new blurb added to airlines’ pre-flight safety announcements, specifically asking passengers to contact a crew member if a smartphone or other electronic device is accidentally dropped or becomes stuck between the seats.
Believe…
