Never put your phone in this ‘dangerous’ spot on a plane, experts warn

YOU have heard about the importance of not leaving your phone on during a flight — but did you know that where you place it matters too.

Experts warn that leaving your phone in between plane seats is a big no-no as it could be both dangerous to you and other passengers.

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It is extremely common to misplace your phone while on an airplane, according to Patrick Smith, a pilot, and author of Ask the Pilot. 

“If you’re in an electrically controlled lie-flat seat, of the type common in first or business class, there are a number of nooks and crannies into which your phone can slip — beyond your reach and down into the mechanisms that control the seat’s various positions,” Smith said.

However, should your phone slip into those crevices, it could pose a real danger to the entire aircraft.

“The phone could overheat and be a fire hazard,” Alex Miller, a flight expert and founder of travel site UpgradedPoints, said.

And reports of such incidents are more common than you might think.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), there have been 346 reports of air travel incidents that involved smoke, fire, extreme heat, or explosion due to lithium batteries (that types that in most, if not all smartphones) as of December 2021.

The FAA added that some of those reports were related to phones being left stuck in seats.

In one case in 2017, a man’s phone caught fire on a United Airlines flight after falling in between his seat.

Another incident in 2018 involved a passenger on a Delta Air Line plane having to be moved to another seat while a flight attendant retrieved their smoking phone from in-between their seat.

And that’s not the only way your phone could pose a fire risk to the aircraft.

The device may also catch on fire if it gets lodged in-between seats and you attempt to move or adjust your seat.

This happens because as your seat moves it can crush your phone’s lithium battery, which could result in a fire, According to Miller.

There are a number of ways to minimize a device’s risk of catching on fire.

“To avoid this entire scenario, avoid leaving your phone near the edge of the console, from where it can easily slip or fall,” Smith said.

“Always have your phone in your hands (or in another protected, known location) for take-off and landing to prevent the phone from sliding away,” Miller also suggested.

Both Miller and Smith also noted that it’s important to always notify your flight attendant of any of the aforementioned situations and let them handle it as they are trained to do so.

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