If you travel, you're likely bringing your phone or laptop, and many will pack a portable power bank. But as we've reported for years, the batteries inside thos
If you travel, you’re likely bringing your phone or laptop, and many people pack a portable power bank. But as we've reported for years, the batteries inside those devices can be dangerous and pose a fire risk aboard airplanes. Now, new data reveals the charging devices many rely on are the leading cause of terrifying mid-air scares.
On a recent Air China flight, flames came pouring out of an overhead bin after a lithium-ion battery in luggage ignited. It forced an emergency landing.
A similar situation damaged a plane in South Korea just before takeoff.
{p}Three people suffered minor injuries after this Air Busan plane caught fire (Photo: Yonhap News Agency){/p}All over the world, devices are overheating, smoking, and even exploding in one of the most dangerous places possible: 30,000 feet in the air.
Melissa Harris saw it happen in front of her eyes after her flight had just left Wichita, Kansas.
She said a girl was holding her charger when it blew up.
"In front of us was a ball of yellow orange explosion," she recalled. "It was a good two feet of explosion."
Melissa Harris told Chris Daniels she felt "trapped" after an explosion on her plane (Photo: KOMO)The midair emergency flooded the cabin with smoke, and Melissa described panic and kids crying.
"The smoke was just gas poison," she said. "I felt trapped. And like, what are they going to do?"
Lithium-ion batteries are found in laptops, phones and portable chargers — all common devices carried by airline travelers.
The remains of a charger fire in the aisle of a passenger plane, captured by Melissa Harris (Photo: Melissa Harris)But heat can trigger a chain reaction called thermal runaway.
Melissa said she had no idea the risk existed.
New data shows it's growing.
UL Standards & Engagement just released a new report showing that thermal runaway incidents on passenger planes increased 15% between 2024 and 2025, now happening, on average, more than twice a week.
ULSE found a 15% increase in incidents in 1 year (Photo: SBG)The new ULSE research found that about one in 10 flights with these incidents on board result in evacuation, diversion or a return to the gate — and they cost airlines more than $90,000 per incident.
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Katie Denis is the vice president of communications and brand for ULSE.
"Thermal runaway incidents are very fast and often very fierce when they get to the fire stage," she said.
The main culprit used to be vaping devices. Now it's portable chargers. There was a 42% increase in the number of incidents tied to portable chargers in a one-year period.
Denis has been tracking data about lithium ion battery incidents on board planes (Photo: Nathan Aaron)The chargers, Denis said, are often made overseas and sold to American consumers without safety certification.
In addition, more than half of passengers are still storing them out of reach, including in overhead bins. That can mean overheating goes unnoticed until it's too late. That has led some airlines to require passengers to keep them within arm’s reach.
This past fall, the FAA issued a safety alert for airline operators warnin about the risks, and some airlines are drilling flight crews on how to handle emergencies.
The issue prompted a safety alert in recent months (Photo: SBG)Denis said there's one thing that will have the biggest impact: public education.
"The more people understand when they get on a plane that they want to have their rechargeable products at arm's reach, the fewer of these incidents we'll see," she said. "That trend line will reverse with strong education and it is the closest we have to a single solution."
Harris argued the response on board her plane could have been faster. Her flight returned to its takeoff location to safely evacuate passengers.
Portable chargers are now the leading cause of thermal runaway on planes (Photo: SBG)She recalled having a headache for more than a week after the incident, and said the trauma of the scare in the air lingers.
"You're thinking about your life," she said. "It has definitely changed the way that I fly."
