HOLIDAYMAKERS should avoid making this mistake on their next flight or risk being on the wrong end of a plane diversion.
The dangerous error was made on 14 seperate flights in 2023 alone, and in 2018 passengers watched on as a smoking phone had to be put out.
Dropping an expensive smartphone anywhere can be a pain as the chances of a breakage are high, and so will the price of a repair.
But letting it slip down an aeroplane seat and trying to retrieve it could force a flight to divert, and could even prove fatal.
According to flight experts, this is because inside most smartphones there's a lithium battery, which when damaged can explode into a ball of flames.
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Because of this, plane staff are now asking passengers - if they drop their phone between their seats - to ask the flight attendants to retrieve it instead of fishing around for it themselves, reports AFAR.
The problem happens when a seat on a plane is reclined, as it can crush a dropped phone and cause enough damage to overheat and explode it.
The danger was seen in real time when a Qantas flight between Melbourne and Los Angeles saw plane staff have to put out a fire mid-air when a passenger's phone started smoking.
Thanks to the quick-thinking flight attendant it was put out and the plane did not have to divert, but the risk is still high and a wrong move could have seen the consequence be far greater.
Because of the risk passengers are instructed to flag a phone drop with plane staff when it happens and avoid trying to claim the mobile back yourself.
Speaking to the outlet, a representative from American Airlines, said: "Seats can vary between aircraft, and as part of this training, flight attendants are informed of the various operational intricacies of each seat that customers may not be aware of, and can safely help our customers out should their phone fall between seats.”
The policy was echoed by a Delta Air Lines representative, who said that because seats have different modifications "between cabins and planes" staff would be best placed to "retrieve the phone more easily".
If the phone is unrecoverable by staff on the plane, they can contact the destination airport where a grounded member of staff will be "dispatched to meet the plane and use tools".
The representative went on to say that aeroplane staff can "prepare fire-safety protocols" if they know a lithium powered phone is too hot, smoking or on fire.
On top of the fire risk, a Delta Airlines representative also mentioned that they would "rather" get the phone for the passenger and avoid them from "potentially" jamming their fingers.
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Between March 3, 2006, and February 15, 2024, there have been 68 verified incidents where smartphones became abnormally hot, started smoking, or caught fire.
And it's noteworthy that the figure will increase as more people use phones with lithium batteries, as 14 of the incidents alone happened in 2023.
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