Every commercial airline flight carries scores of lithium-ion
powered batteries in phones, tablets, computers, activity trackers,
cameras, headphones and other devices. Consumers need to respect
the risks that are associated with these products if not used,
stored or charged correctly. Battery manufacturers and the
manufacturers of products containing them must be ready to respond
to all claimed incidents.
At nearly every airport gate I have entered over the past two
years, there inevitably has been an announcement made that the
flight is full, overhead space is running out and there is a need
for volunteers to check their baggage. The gate agents would then
advise flyers to take keys, medications and valuables out of
checked bags. While they would also warn flyers to take spare
lithium-ion batteries out of checked bags, this announcement always
seemed to get drowned out by airport noise. In fact, it is a
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) regulation that
