Airlines improve safety measures after reports of exploding Samsung Galaxy Note 7 units

Following CPSC's (Consumer Product Safety Commission) second recall announcement for the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, many airlines have decided to improve safety measures to fight the threat of overheating mobile device batteries.

Delta Air Lines recently joined Virgin America and Alaska Air Group, which installed fire-containment bags in its cabins months ago. These bags removes completely attendants need to improvise locations on the planes to store phones or other electronic devices that might go up in flames.

In addition, Delta will be adding more staff training in the hope that they will better handle fire situations if the need arises. No less than 166 planes under Delta's flag will be equipped with two fire-containment bags each by the end of the year, while the rest of its fleet that doesn't include regional jets will be getting these bags by the end of 2017.

Southwest Airlines, the company reporting the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 incident earlier this month, said that it's very interested in adding fire-containment bags to its planes as well, but hasn't yet commenced the installation process.

These fire-containment bags cost between $500 and $3,000 each, depending on their size. The smallest ones are suitable for phones and similar sized devices, while others are meant for laptops and alike.

FAA recorded 129 incidents in the last 25 years, which involved overheating fire, smoke or an explosion on planes and airports. Of the total number of incidents, 23 were recorded just this year, while 16 were reported in 2016. If the trend continues, the situation might become worse in the coming years.