More SWA problems- exploding soda cans!

Like ‘little bombs,’ soda cans are exploding on Southwest flights. Here’s why

By Mary Gilbert, CNN Meteorologist

The hazard is unique to Southwest because the airline doesn’t serve perishable items and so it isn’t required to have refrigerated trucks or storage, CBS News reported. This can expose the cans to extreme conditions heat at several airports in the hottest parts of the country: Las Vegas, Phoenix, Houston and Dallas.

The cans containing carbonated beverages are under such immense heat-driven pressure they are like “little bombs” capable of rupturing with the slightest movement, even when they aren’t being opened, according to Kate Biberdorf, a chemistry professor at the University of Texas at Austin.

“I don’t want to say that to scare people, but that’s really what you should think of them as,” Biberdorf cautioned.

“We’re aware of the issue and have been taking steps to keep onboard beverages cooler, especially in our airports experiencing extreme temperatures,” a Southwest spokesperson said in a written statement.

There were more than 100 reports of soda cans exploding on flights in June, Southwest flight attendant union president Bill Bernal told CNN, some of which have injured flight attendants. Bernal predicted nearly three times as many reports of exploding cans by the end of July.

https://www.cnn.com/2024/07/27/weather/southwest-airlines-soda-cans-heat-climate/index.html​