U.S. Laptop Fire On JetBlue Flight Raises Concern About Laptop Ban

While the proposed laptop ban would force plane passengers to check electronics larger than a cell phone, safety experts are now concerned about the risk of an on-board fire in the belly of the plane.



Business travelers between the U.S. and Europe can breathe a small sigh of relief and clutch their laptops a little closer -- for now, anyway. Following a call between Secretary John Kelly and defense leads in Europe, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security issued a statement clarifying that it would not seek to ban laptops from the cabin on commercial flights from Europe at this time.

"While a much-discussed expansion of the ban on large electronic devices in the cabin on flights to the United States was not announced today, the Secretary made it clear that the an expansion is still on the table," the department wrote.

"Secretary Kelly affirmed he will implement any and all measures necessary to secure commercial aircraft flying to the United States -- including prohibiting large electronic devices from the passenger cabin -- if the intelligence and threat level warrant it."

The ban was discussed as a precaution against intelligence suggesting that terrorists abroad could leverage the devices to conceal explosives for an attack. Critics of the potential measure claim that such a policy would interfere with business travelers and ultimately hurt airlines that service routes between the U.S. and Europe. Others have pointed out the possibility that storing lithium batteries in a cargo hold could cause fires that crew members would not be able to extinguish.

In a statement to TechCrunch, Homeland Security spokesman Dave Lapan reiterated that "there is no timeline for a decision."

MIAMI -- The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating a laptop battery fire that erupted aboard a JetBlue flight. It was scary moments for the 158 people on board JetBlue flight 915. While flying between New York and San Francisco Tuesday night, passengers noticed smoke coming from a carry-on bag. Inside was a laptop with an overheating lithium-ion battery.  "We're at 35,000 feet and all of a sudden we hear an announcement and we look back at row 25," said passenger Alan Honnibal. "You could see smoke and smell it," Kailey Honnibal added.  Honnibal took a picture of what appears to be scorch marks on the plane's carpet from the smoldering laptop.  The FAA says 12 fire-related incidents