Page 38 - InterPilot 2020 Issue 1

“Pilots are given instructions on how to respond

to DG incidents. Fortunately, incidents involving

DG are extremely rare in flight.”

As a passenger, can I put Dangerous Goods in my
checked bags?

Yes, but in very limited types and quantities. What
you can put in your checked baggage is very limited.
For example, spare lithium batteries are not allowed in
your checked baggage. It is required that airlines advise
passengers sometime during the ticketing and check in
process that most Dangerous Goods are not allowed
in passenger checked baggage. This is often a page
displayed during the ticketing or check in process.

Additionally, when airlines accept checked baggage at
the gate, they normally make an announcement and
generally ask each passenger checking baggage there
if they have dangerous goods, including spare lithium
batteries in their luggage.

Again, if you’re following the rules, there are limited
types and quantities of DG that can go in checked
baggage and those that are allowed must be packaged
and transported in such a way that they’re safe.

Is there a difference between passenger flights and
cargo flights when it comes to dangerous goods
carried as cargo? Why? What is the difference?

Remember, most passenger flights also carry cargo in
their under-floor or belly compartments. And yes, there
is a difference between what type and quantity of cargo
can be carried on a passenger and cargo flight. Why?
Because initially, the regulators believed that cargo
pilots had means of mitigating hazards and putting out
fires that were not available on passenger flights. For
example, years ago, cargo may have been loaded on the
main deck of a freighter, and pilots could go back and
physically use a fire extinguisher if a fire started. If a fire
started on a passenger flight, it could have been in the
belly, where the pilots had no access to the cargo and
there was no way to put out the fire (now all passenger
aircraft are required to have effective cargo compartment
fire suppression systems).