Regional airline LIAT has announced that e-cigarettes are prohibited for carriage in checked luggage on the airline’s services effective immediately.
Citing a recommendation from the United States Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), LIAT said e-cigarettes are a fire risk.
E-cigarettes mainly use lithium cells to heat liquid nicotine into a vapour and these devices have, in some instances, overheated or caught fire when the heating element was accidentally activated.
The FAA pointed to two recent incidents in the United States. In the first incident, e-cigarettes packed in a passenger’s checked bag in the cargo hold of a passenger aircraft caused a fire that forced an evacuation of the aircraft. In the second incident, a checked bag that had missed its flight was found to be on fire in a baggage area. Emergency responders attributed the fire to an overheated e-cigarette inside the bag.
Meanwhile, LIAT noted that airport security in the territories in which it operates have not yet confirmed a unified stance on the carriage of e-cigarettes in carry-on baggage. It is therefore recommended passengers should not carry e-cigarettes in their cabin baggage either, so they don’t lose their devices if the airport security decide to remove them.
Should airport security across the territories subsequently allow e-cigarettes to be carried on board flights, LIAT would review its current recommendation.
shape up for what how when where,what happen you forget how much millions skerrit give them?
Well done LIAT. The worst airline on the planet does something sensible, because it has to. LIAT are the only bad thing I have encountered in Dominica. You seriously need another airline to force them to shape up.
If they are dangerous and there have been two cases of them, simply ban them entirely. Consider if they cause fires during flight? I hate thinking of the disaster which would ensue.
you know you can take out the battery, hence zero fire hazard….
While it is true that these are fire hazard , I wonder whether it will be detected when the security officers would be x-raying various luggages . This is cause to be concerned.
Great move….more airlines should implement this move…
Could somebody at LIAT explain why flights to Dominica are so expensive despite the fact that fuel prices are at an all time low ……….
Travel cost to Dominica from Trinidad and Tobago during the last quarter of 2014 was US$450 – US$500. It now costs US$750 – US$800.
LIAT did indicate that they reducing prices because of lower global oil prices. Why are we getting screwed by LIAT yet again……
It appears that because LIAT is the only form of transportation from the southern Caribbean to Dominica they are bleeding consumers dry……..i mean really US$800 for a drop 4 islands up the chain……. ah magway sa …….
Man, that is really a rip off! You can fly all the way from London to Barbados on a reputable airline for less than that and get a decent cup of coffee as well.
Because they can…. LIAT just like most other organizations will squeeze every ounce they can until D/CA improves its air access issues.
With regards to e-cigarettes, I believe it is best to be safe that sorry….good move on the part of LIAT.
This is a very sensible move. These electronic cigarettes are a fire hazard and have no place on an aircraft, not even a freighter.
They just said so in the article…Jeeez!!!