Transport Canada has issued a statement about taking the Galaxy Note 7 on planes following a global recall and subsequent statement from the FAA.
In the statement, the airline regulator recommends Canadians traveling with the beleaguered device “be carried in the cabin, where an incident can be immediately mitigated,” and to avoid keeping the phone in checked luggage where a fire “could easily overwhelm the fire suppression system of an aircraft.”
The move mirrors a similar statement by the FAA, which “strongly advises passengers not to turn on or charge these devices on board aircraft and not to stow them in any checked baggage.”
The full statement from Transport Canada is below:
The purpose of this safety advisory is to advise air operators, passengers and crew of the risks involved in transporting the new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone in checked baggage or inside the cabin of an aircraft. In light of recent incidents and concerns involving the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, Samsung announced on September 2nd, a global recall and replacement program for millions of these devices because of batteries exploding or catching fire.
Lithium-ion batteries that typically power these devices have the potential to overheat or short-circuit if they are defective, mishandled, or not packed properly. In turn, this can lead to a fire and cause a chain reaction with other lithium-ion batteries nearby. This type of fire could easily overwhelm the fire suppression system of an aircraft.
For this reason, Transport Canada is advising air operators, passengers and crew of this safety risk and recommends that Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices be carried in the cabin, where an incident can be immediately mitigated, and not in checked baggage. Transport Canada also strongly recommends against using or charging these devices in the cabin of an aircraft.
Canadian airlines Porter, WestJet and Air Canada will also be reminding customers about this policy through announcements prior to takeoff.
Earlier today, Samsung Canada told Android Central that new stock of the Note 7 would be arriving as early as next week for those who have turned their phones in to their carriers or directly to Samsung. The company is working with Health Canada to expedite the recall process.
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