Accessories–and accessory makers–are in danger this week. From an exploding iPhone to uninhibited Blackberry execs, it’s hard to judge who (or what) is stupider: the gadgets or the gadget makers. And when it comes to purses–and purse makers–there are even more travel failures. See this week’s Icarus nominees and vote for the worst offender in the poll below.

Too Close for Comfort

Fliers are conditioned to expect uncomfortable travel experiences, but Arthur Berkowitz’s recent U.S. Airways flight from Anchorage to Philadelphia breaks the mold. Berkowitz, a Philadelphia business man, was seated next to a morbidly obese passenger, who was not asked to purchase two seats and instead raised the armrests in his row of seats and spilled over into both seat mates’ space. Berkowitz found himself unable to fasten his seat belt for take off or landing―a federal safety violation. Given that his seat was a tight squeeze, Berkowitz spent the majority of his 7-hour flight walking the cabin. Berkowitz immediately complained to United Airlines about the situation and was offered a $200 voucher. Unsatisfied with the offer and unable to come to terms after months of negotiations, Berkowitz has gone to the press and to the FAA to complain about the situation.

No Kardashians Down Under

First her former husband Kris Humphries filed for an annulment, now Australia is looking to sever its relationship with the reality star. The nation announced that Kardashian is officially on its watch list after she violated the visa application rules for the third time. Kardashian recently traveled to Australia to promote her handbag line, but instead of applying for a work visa she wrote tourist on her application. This is the third time Kardashian has endeavored to pass off work as play. While many celebrities have been banned or placed on watch lists for visa problems, the most interesting thing to come from this story is that Kim Kardashian appears to be able to read and write.

Bad Behavior for Blackberry

Two employees for Blackberry-maker Research In Motion have been suspended from the company and are now facing fines of up to $70,699.49 from a Canadian court ruling. Employees George Campbell and Paul Alexander Wilson were so drunkenly rowdy that they were fighting with the flight crew but it took an entire flight crew to restrain them and it caused their Toronto to Beijing flight to be diverted to Vancouver for 18 hours. In addition to the hefty fine, Campbell and Wilson were also given suspended sentences and probation for a year.

Violent Accessories

The TSA in Norfolk, Virginia detained pregnant teen Vanessa Gibbs over her choice of accessory. Gibbs, 17, caries a camouflage purse with the decal of an old gun on it. Perturbed by her violent choice in accessories, the TSA took care to evaluate the purse and make sure the gun emblem was indeed fake. Given that replica weapons have been outlawed since 2002, the agent was within jurisdiction when he asked Gibbs to check her handbag or turn it over to authorities. The whole incident took so much time that the teen missed her flight to Jacksonville, Florida and was sent to Orlando instead.

Hottest Phone on the Market

The Australian Transport Safety Bureau is now looking into an incident where Apple’s iPhone began smoking in an act described by Australian carrier Regional Express as “mobile phone self combustion.” Just as the plane touched down in Sydney, the phone emitted dense smoke and gave off a red glow. A flight attendant was able to extinguish the glow and now Australian authorities and Apple are investigating the incident and the phone in question.

Pay up or get off the Plane won a resounding 84 percent of the last Icarus votes. Check out past winners in our Icarus Award  section. And vote here for this week’s most worthy contender:

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by Lily J. Kosner for Petergreenberg.com

Related links: Huffington Post, Daily Mail, New York Post, Huffington Post, MSNBC