Soda cans are exploding on Southwest flights because of sky-high temperatures

Southwest Airways says it is taking steps to stay its onboard drinks cooler.

Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

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Charles Rex Arbogast/AP

Summer time temperatures around the U.S. are so excessive that they’ve created issues at cruising altitude, inflicting some overheated drinks to burst midair on quite a lot of Southwest Airways flights. Most of the airports the place Southwest has a big presence — similar to Phoenix, Las Vegas, Austin, Dallas, Houston and Sacramento — are situated in towns that experience already damaged temperature information this yr, on account of warmth waves fueled by way of local weather alternate.

Palm Springs, Calif., is one of many U.S. cities seeing temperature records falling in recent days and weeks.

Southwest showed to NPR that warmth has warped some cans and brought about others to burst upon opening, a subject it’s been speaking with staff about for the reason that spring. However it stressed out there haven’t been any reported incidents involving shoppers. “We’re conscious about the problem and feature been taking steps to stay onboard drinks cooler, particularly in our airports experiencing excessive temperatures,” spokesperson Chris Perry mentioned in a observation. Some 20 flight attendants were injured by way of exploding cans this summer season, together with person who required stitches, consistent with CBS Information. The union that represents Southwest flight attendants, TWU Native 556, has now not answered to NPR’s request for remark.

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“For the Protection of our Staff and Shoppers, we’re taking schooling and mitigation measures on all heat-related hazards,” Perry added. The problem seems to be distinctive to Southwest, which handles in-flight drinks otherwise than different airways. It does its personal provisioning and doesn’t care for perishables, because it does now not serve foods all over flights. The corporate is now checking out out vehicles with air-conditioned shipment spaces in Phoenix and Las Vegas.

Illustration of ways to beat the heat.

It’s additionally telling airport groups to make use of virtual thermometers to take the temperature of cans earlier than loading up each and every aircraft, and to carry again any cans that learn above 98 levels Fahrenheit. As soon as airborne, the corporate is educating flight attendants — who take passengers’ orders after which carry them their drink, moderately than pushing a beverage cart throughout the aisle — not to open any cans that glance misshapen or really feel scorching to touch, and to as an alternative be offering shoppers another and an apology. After all, local weather alternate creates extra woes for vacationers than simply restricted beverage possible choices. It intensifies climate occasions like floods and storms, makes flying planes tougher and can also be accountable for bumpier flights.