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Searing summer heatwave is causing terrifying explosions on Southwest planes
Record-breaking heatwaves across the US are causing soda cans to explode after being loaded on Southwest Airlines flights across the country.
The airline has reported entire cases bursting open due to heat pressure on flights out of airports in Phoenix and Las Vegas as temperatures continue to hit triple digits.
Southwest Airlines officials claim that the explosion usually happens right after the can has been cracked open.
While no passengers have been hurt, about 20 flight attendants have sustained injures including one who needed stitches.
Southwest Airlines has reported entire cases bursting open due to heat pressure on flights out of airports in Phoenix and Las Vegas as temperatures continue to hit triple digits
While no passengers have been hurt, about 20 flight attendants have sustained injures including one who needed stitches
Officials believe that the incidents may be occurring due to how Southwest stores its carbonated drinks on flights.
Southwest does not stock perishables onboard and tends to not use air-conditioned catering trucks to deliver meals and drinks to the aircraft - therefore exposing pressured items to external heat.
According to CBS News, Rachel Loudermilk, Southwest's managing director of base operations and Matt Sampson, provisioning director have sent a company-wide email stating that 'none of us are satisfied that we are still seeing reported events.'
It further states that the company has started taken measures to curb such incidents including stocking fewer cans on provisioning trucks, placing carbonated drinks in coolers on trucks in hot weather locations and monitoring truck and can temperature with thermometers during shifts.
Southwest does not stock perishables onboard and tends to not use air-conditioned catering trucks to deliver meals and drinks to the aircraft - therefore exposing pressured items to external heat
Attendants have also been asked to stop halting cans that are hotter than 98 degrees and to return them to the warehouse to cool down
Attendants have also been asked to stop storing cans that are hotter than 98 degrees and to return them to the warehouse to cool down.
The email also states that the officials have begun testing air-conditioned provisioning trucks and are in talks with Coca-Cola to analyze the viability of the current cans as well as to find alternatives.
Chris Perry, a Southwest spokesperson also released a statement and said: 'We’re aware of the issue and have been taking steps to keep onboard beverages cooler, especially in our airports experiencing extreme temperatures,” said Chris Perry, spokesman for Southwest Airlines.
'It’s a cross-functional effort between our airport teams and those in the air.'
Apart from Phoenix and Las Vegas, the new measures are also being applied to aircrafts flying out of Austin, Houston, Dallas and Sacramento.