Florida

Ban on Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Cellphones on Aircraft in Effect at Miami International Airport

Travelers lining up at Miami International Airport are going through security with a new rule in place: no Samsung Galaxy Note 7's allowed on any flights. That includes carrying it in your hand, bag, or anything.

U.S. Department of Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx released a statement on the ban.

"We recognize that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority," Foxx said.

Traveler Rena Williams had some concerns. She had to make sure her family members she was traveling with did not have the phone like her nephew.

I had to hold off on my ticket until I talked to him, and then I had to call the airline to make sure it was ok," Williams said. "I was afraid that someone might get on a plane with one."

Samsung users we spoke with do not have the Galaxy note 7, but are still disappointed.

"With today's technology that those type of things would have been taken care of before hand as far as the lithium batteries and testing them before you put them out on the market," said John Tarver.

While Samsung owners are up in arms over the ban, other phone users are breathing a sigh of relief.

"If I had a Galaxy and all my info with all my contacts and everything on it and they told me I couldn't get on my flight today, I would have been pretty upset," said Gray Edgerton.

Samsung has recalled more than 2.5 million of the smartphones, citing a battery manufacturing error. The South Korean company discontinued the product earlier this week, less than two months after its August release.

The Consumer Product Safety Commission says there have been nearly 100 reports of batteries in Note 7 phones overheating in the U.S. One fire erupted on a Southwest Airlines flight earlier this month. In another case, a family in St. Petersburg, Florida, reported a Galaxy Note 7 phone left charging in their Jeep caught fire, destroying the vehicle.

Copyright AP - Associated Press
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