Report: Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Banned on All Flights Due to Fires

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The U.S. Transportation Department has banned Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones from all airline flights, USA Today reports, following over 100 incidents of the devices overheating, sometimes causing injuries. The Federal Aviation Administration had previously advised travelers to leave the phones off and avoid charging them during a flight, and to avoid packing them in checked luggage. 

​“We recognize that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority,” Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx told USA Today. “We are taking this additional step because even one fire incident inflight poses a high risk of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk.”

Samsung has said it will halt production of the device after some updated versions still had problems with overheating, USA Today said. 

Previously, APRIL Travel Protection had warned travelers that mobile devices harmed by an overheating Samsung Note 7 (and other incidents) may not be covered under many travel insurance policies

According to APRIL, in many instances, travelers will often find their Personal Effects coverage realistically caps out as low as $500, an amount far below the value of personal electronics travelers typically take with them on vacation. Additionally, some policies lump consumer electronics into the same category as jewelry, furs and other seemingly unrelated items, creating a “super category” of expensive Personal Effects and restricting the maximum total combined payout. 

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