Overheating card reader causes inflight emergency
Alaska Airlines was forced to make an emergency landing when a credit card reader overheated.
Flight 17 from Newark to Seattle with 181 passengers and six crew onboard had to divert to Buffalo shortly after take-off.
Alaska said in a statement there were no visible flames but an extinguisher was used ‘to stop the device from smoking’ in the rear galley.
A flight attendant reportedly tossed the machine into a bin and put it out with the extinguisher.
The airline said it was caused by a lithium battery overheating in a portable point of sale terminal used to charge customers for onboard purchases such as drinks, Wi-Fi or seat upgrades.
The card reader was a new model recently installed on Alaska jets and now have all been removed while they are inspected.
The incident came just three days after the Federal Aviation Administration backed a ban of bulk shipments of rechargeable lithium batteries on passenger planes.
"We believe the risk is immediate and urgent," FAA safety official Angela Stubblefield said at a public meeting on the matter.
Linsey McNeill
Editor Linsey McNeill has been writing about travel for more than three decades. Bylines include The Times, Telegraph, Observer, Guardian and Which? plus the South China Morning Post. She also shares insider tips on thetraveljournalist.co.uk
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