Hoverboards have been banned from the top three airlines in the U.S., according to NPR. Delta, American and United Airlines have all banned hoverboards from both checked and carry-on baggage.
"Given the ongoing investigation by the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, American has decided to prohibit hoverboards from its planes, both as check and carry-on luggage," American spokesman Matt Miller said, according to USA Today. "This policy will go into effect on Saturday."
Although hoverboards are gaining in popularity as Christmas gifts, the safety hazards they pose are just something the airlines are not taking a risk with.
"In the interest of safety for our customers and employees, we do not accept hoverboards as checked or carry-on baggage," added United spokesman Charles Hobart.
At least 10 incidents of hoverboards bursting into flames have been documented so far, with Delta adding in a statement that "poorly labeled, powerful lithium-ion batteries powering hoverboards are the issue."
"While occurrences are uncommon, these batteries can spontaneously overheat and pose a fire hazard risk," Delta stated on their website.
"As cool as they are, there's one big problem: they are not safe to transport on an airplane," Alaska Airlines said on their corporate blog after banning hoverboards from their airline last week.
British Airways has also prohibited hoverboards in carry-on luggage and checked bags "in light of press reports about potential fire risks associated with the lithium batteries used in hoverboards," according to The Los Angeles Times.
Hoverboards are also already banned from JetBlue, Hawaiian Airlines and Virgin America. Southwest Airlines, the number four airline in the U.S., has not banned them yet but acknowledged that they are evaluating the situation.
