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Hoverboards On Fire: Airlines Ban Hoverboards Due To Fire Risk On Planes [Video]

By Paula Mooney
Published on: 01:32 PST, Dec 11, 2015

The popularity of hoverboards has now come with a ban. Several airlines are banning hoverboards due to their fire risk, reports CNBC. The popularity of hoverboards has been witnessed on social media sites like Instagram, where celebrities and famous folks have been seen riding hoverboards around airports or in sports stadiums.

However, the popularity of hoverboards has given rise to videos showing hoverboards catching on fire. As such, CNET produced the following video that shows folks how to buy a hoverboard that won’t catch fire.

“Motorized, self-balancing boards are popping up everywhere. These so-called hoverboards range in price from $200 to $1700, but there have been reports of some boards catching fire. So what’s the deal? CNET’s Brian Tong tested several. He breaks down what you really need to know before deciding which one to buy and where to buy it.”

Despite the information to consumers about which hoverboards are better than others when it comes to fire safety, Delta Air Lines, British Airways, and JetBlue have all banned travelers from bringing hoverboards in both their carry-on and checked luggage.

Hoverboards have recently come under fire from federal safety regulators. The increasing number of hoverboard fires, as reported by NBC News, is being investigated. As seen in the above video, hoverboard fires are being blamed on manufacturers of cheap hoverboards, which can be found priced pretty cheaply at $200. This price may seem like a steal in comparison to the $1,500 hoverboards models.

However, hoverboards containing powerful lithium-ion and lithium-metal batteries can interact with metal items like tools, loose changes, or keys. Those hoverboards can catch fire if those objects are sparked together under extreme heat.

The popular Christmas gift that has made plenty of people place a hoverboard at the top of their gift list will have to be shipped or brought by other means for those folks who want to travel with certain airlines. By June 30, 2015, the FAA stated that were almost 160 incidents of batteries carried as cargo or baggage, some of which included burning smoke or fires on planes.

As such, the ban on hoverboards due to fire concerns is a move that has been enacted to attempt to keep planes safe and free from fires, a smart move in light of the potential risk that hoverboards could cause. Therefore, those videos of famous people in airports with their hoverboards will likely decrease as more airlines ban hoverboards.

The self-balancing scooters may look cool, but the hoverboards will have to be transported in a different manner other than the banned airlines. The fact that hoverboards have been placed on the “no-fly list” for some airline carriers is making the news on Friday, December 11, with the general consensus representing an understanding public in light of increased concerns over terrorism.

On Twitter, reactions to the hoverboard ban run the gamut.

The ban on hoverboards means that those gift-givers who planned on buying a hoverboard for their loved one must make other plans in order to transport the hoverboard safely. The general rule of thumb for buying a hoverboard includes not spending less than $200 on a cheap knock-off hoverboard that might catch fire. Instead of running to Amazon or eBay for the cheapest hoverboard, experts say it’s best to read reviews and spend more for a hoverboard that’s safe.

Hoverboards aren’t merely for teens or younger people — they can be enjoyed by people of all ages that learn how to balance on the hoverboards. Some makes and models of the hoverboards can also handle weights of up to 300 pounds.

[Photo by Kathy Willens/AP]

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