A flight was forced to turn around after a passenger lost their phone. It sparked safety concerns that made the entire flight head back, which probably frustrated passengers.
It was an Air France flight from Paris, France to Pointe-a-Pitre, Guadeloupe. Flight AF750 was flying over the English Channel when it was forced to head back to Paris. Just an hour into the flight, a passenger reportedly lost their phone in the sea. According to the Independent, flight crew searched for the missing phone but couldn't find it.
As a result, they had to turn the entire plane around, which had 375 passengers on board. Upon landing, maintenance teams were able to find the missing phone. It may seem like an overreaction, but the airline wanted to be cautious. Phones contain lithium-ion batteries. If damaged, they could eventually cause a fire. It wouldn't be the first time that an electronic device caused a fire on board.
One Mile At A Time's Ben Shlappig explained that electronics can cause a fire on the plane if people aren't careful. "You have people traveling with a lot more electronics, and at the same time, you have (premium) seats that are becoming increasingly complex, with more motorized functions," he wrote. "This increases the risk of passengers losing electronics, and even more, it increases the risk of a fire."
Flight Canceled Over A Phone
Some frustrated passengers and crew shared their own horror stories about losing a phone or electronic devices on the plane.
"I lost my phone in business class on an Emirates 777 BKK-SYD and the crew had my seat ripped apart in about 5 seconds with a jug of water on hand in case it caught fire," one person wrote. "I think they just dump them in the jug if necessary. That AF diversion would have easily been [$]100-200K. Wild."
Meanwhile, one flight attendant wrote, "Just to underscore how frequent this is, I recently had a passenger lose her phone in the seat 3 times in 1 hour. Needless to say, she was told to put her phone inside her suitcase until landing."
Another flight attendant wrote, "Flight attendant here: there is NOTHING more annoying than AirPods lost in the seat. We are required to dig for them and if they aren't found, the seat can't be moved until maintenance personnel on the ground find the device. Many of us have begun carrying extendable magnets to help us dig. Just to underscore how frequent this is, I recently had a passenger lose her phone in the seat 3 times in 1 hour. Needless to say she was told to put her phone inside her suitcase until landing."
