Fort Worth’s American Airlines and Dallas’ Southwest Airlines are taking a hard stand against the robot uprising.
The two airlines recently banned human-like and animal-like robots from boarding their flights as passengers, after several incidents where humanoid robots caused disruptions on flights, and even delays.
Southwest’s new policy prohibits robots from riding in plane as passengers, even when they’ve had a ticket purchased for them, or even in checked luggage. They must be stowed in carry-on bags, and their human counterparts must comply with all battery restrictions.
A statement was released to CultureMap Dallas where a Southwest spokeswoman says the airline “has taken a strong stance on this issue and has led the U.S. airline industry with our battery policy.” “The robot policy is a further evolution of a [safety] journey we have been on for several months. This move was not in response to any single incident,” the spokeswoman adds. “To eliminate confusion, the policy applies to all similar devices, regardless of size.”
American’s new policy is similar to Southwest’s and bans human-like and animal-like robots from sitting in a purchased seat, being stored in an overhead bin or traveling as checked baggage.
The airline said in a memo, “While there have been no known events involving this type of robot on any American flight, this policy was developed following a comprehensive review of safety risks associated with these devices, including the large lithium-ion batteries that power them.”
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