The Samsung Galaxy Note 7 grabbed the headlines earlier this week after a string of incidents of the explosion of the phone's battery caused severe injuries to the users. In the wake of the impending danger, Samsung Galaxy Note 7 has been banned on all the flights to, from or within the United States by a group of U.S. Regulators on Friday.
The Federal Regulations have described the phone as a "forbidden hazardous material" according to reports by CNet. The ban goes into effect from Saturday and acts as an expansion of the previous restrictions imposed on the Samsung Note 7 phones. Earlier, it was decided that people could bring the phones on board but had to power them down and not use, charge or stow them in checked baggage.
However, after nearly 100 incidents of hazards due to overheating being reported, the restrictions had to undergo more scrutiny. Transportation secretary, Anthony Foxx on Tuesday was quoted saying "We recognize that banning these phones from airlines will cause inconvenience to some passengers but the safety of all aboard an aircraft must take priority. We are taking this additional step because even one fire incident in-flight poses a high risk of personal injury and puts many lives at risk".
The South-Korea based company, Samsung said that it is working to communicate the ban to travelers. The company also announced that the production of the phones has been suspended after some updated versions continued to overheat, reported USA Today.The Chairman of Consumer Product Safety Commission, Elliot Kaye said consumers must take advantage of the opportunities for a refund on the recalled devices.
If an airline representative observes any passenger with the device, he/she will not be allowed to enter the flight until the phone is discarded. Anyone trying to violate these regulations will be liable to fine and criminal prosecution.
