REUTERS
Southwest Airlines says soda cans are exploding on flights across the country, with record-breaking temperatures believed to be behind the fizzy fiascos.
Officials for the airline told The Washington Post that at least 20 flight attendants have been injured by the erupting beverages since the start of this summer alone.
“We are aware of the issue and have begun taking steps to attempt to mitigate it,” company spokesman Chris Perry told the outlet.
Southwest does not serve perishable meals on its flights, meaning that they don’t use refrigerated trucks to transport beverages onto its aircraft as other carriers do.
Soda cans stored at various airports are likely heating up, prompting them to explode when they are opened at 30,000 feet.
Incidents involving bursting soda cans have occurred in previous years, but the airline admits an uptick in the number of injuries this summer, as severe heatwaves grip the country.
“Airports where we have a large presence — such as Las Vegas, Phoenix and many in Texas — continue to receive record temperatures, with severe heat arriving earlier and persisting throughout the summer,” Perry stated.
“For the safety of our employees and customers, we are taking education and mitigation measures on all heat-related hazards.”
Southwest says they are working to address the soda storage issues in cities including Las Vegas, Phoenix, Dallas and Houston.
The company has also directed ground crews to measure the temperature of soda cans before loading them onto planes.
Southwest’s spokesperson did not provide information about the nature of the injuries the flight attendants sustained.
No passenger injuries have been reported.