lithium ion battery pack After the KLM flight diversion from an overheated phone, we need to talk about lithium batteries

"Passengers or crew members will not be in danger at any time": Always a reassuring phrase when a flight goes wrong.
But the Dutch airline KLM's statement on Tuesday night's 809 flight from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur has once again raised concerns about the dangers of lithium batteries.
I guess that almost every passenger carries at least one device powered by "Li-"-a smartphone, tablet or laptopion” battery.
At the time, the Boeing 777 was over the Bay of Bengal, "a passenger's mobile phone was overheating," according to KLM ".
"There was smoke in the cabin.
The crew handled it well and the captain chose to land the plane as a precaution.
"Some passengers who have time at hand may be happy to arrive at lunch time on the beautiful Phuket Island.
But I bet most of them are not.
When the incident was investigated on the ground and the plane was released to fly, the crew had "timed out ".
Restrictions on their duty time mean they cannot reach the Malaysian capital, which is 437 miles away-only an hour away.
The airline had to find hotel rooms, dinner and breakfast for about 300 people on board and re-
Book their next trip.
In addition, the flight will continue to fly from Kuala Lumpur to Jakarta before returning to the Netherlands.
More hotels must be found for all passengers waiting in Indonesia and the Malaysian capital, who have been hoping to board a Boeing plane to return to Amsterdam.
The total cost of "hot out of control" is up to tens of thousands.
Everyone finally arrived safely where they needed to be.
But Adrian Young, a senior aviation consultant at the Dutch consulting firm to70, said the incident raised concerns about the broader risks of lithium batteries: "Lithium is being used more and more
Ion batteries in electronic products can create a fire risk on the plane, because if these batteries catch fire, it is difficult to extinguish.
"As KL809 did, the Heat runaway on the runway was shocking enough, not to mention at 39000ft.
But at least that device is in the cabin.
"Airlines around the world are training their crew to put out fires in the cabin," Mr Young said . ".
"The challenge is to remove this battery from the passenger's checked baggage.
It is better to put these equipment in the cabin than to put them in the cabin.
"On February, on a border airline flight from Orlando to Phoenix, a passenger's spare battery caught fire, causing another transfer.
On September 2016, the manufacturer launched a recall after dozens of incidents in which Samsung's Galaxy Note 7 phone caught fire.
On flights to the United Kingdom and the United States from some Middle East and North African countries, 2017 portable electronic devices have been banned from entering the cabin, but this is because of concerns that explosives are hidden inside.
Given the number of fire incidents, can these devices be simply banned?
No, Mr. Yang said.
"Devices with lithium batteries are part of modern life and the aviation industry has to figure out how to live with them.
"KLMis is ahead of the rules I see.
"Do not pack any spare batteries in your check-in baggage.
Bring your lithium battery.
Operating equipment for carrying hand luggage with you.
"Pay attention to your device when charging during flight, and don't charge when sleeping.
"When you finish charging during your flight, remove the plug from the socket.
If you 've ever had your phone or tablet slide into the interior work of an airplane seat: "If your device slides between seats, never move your seat.
Always call the flight attendant for help.
You were warned.
Let's hope the rest of the ship is the same.