New laptop ban!

Just noticed this new prohibitionhere

looks like all apple & Dell laptops are banned from use, not just the ones with the incendiary batteries.

[Decker]

On the bright side you're a lot less likely to get a virus with an Apple. Presumably the high heat pasteurises them.

[mcmbenjamin]

Funny thing is that for some time there was no problem and now it is a big deal.

I think they should disallow just the laptops with the bad batteries and allow other Apples and Dells.

My MacBook gets warm but not hot. I can safely rest it on my gut with no problems.

My macbook only gets warm as well. The overheating problem, according to apple, only affects powerbooks, not the new Intel based machines. I think, as in the case of VS not allowing pda phones in flight mode, this is an unnecessary over reaction.

Is this a general restriction or just a Virgin restriction?
Another bally farce if you ask me.
One of my two Dell batteries was affected and the replacement has been ordered.
So how exactly is the restriction going to be enforced, and how exactly is there ever going to be the "all clear" given. When Dell tell Virgin that every single owner of affected batteries has contacted Dell and replaced theirs? Ridiculous!
I'll be using mine as usual, and printing out the affected serial numbers for the crew to check if they really care to enforce the ban.

If it is just a virgin restriction, when i next need to make a Y flight, it might be enough (along with price) to push me back to another carrier.

Ill thought out knee jerk restrictions, they are starting to really annoy ,me now![:(!]

This might well be enough to push me to the 'Dark Side' [:I]

I don't own an iPod so use my iBook to run iTunes

[Decker]

Originally posted by PVGSLF
I'll be using mine as usual, and printing out the affected serial numbers for the crew to check if they really care to enforce the ban.

Sorry - once you're in the air you don't pick and choose the crew directives to comply with. I don't personally beleive that smoking in the toilets significantly increases your chance of crashing but I don't encourage people to do it.

Many airlines are introducing similar rules.... I think QF were the first early last week.

My powerbook used to get stupidly hot... but isn't this a case of the batteries exploding, rather than simply getting hot?

Originally posted by V-Ben
My powerbook used to get stupidly hot... but isn't this a case of the batteries exploding, rather than simply getting hot?

Correct, this is a manufacturing error in certain batches of battery, which cause them to catch fire.

Laptops get hot. Any electrics in a confined space like that get hot, but they are designed with heatsinks and fans to manage this.

This isn't a "overheating" problem, this is a technical defect which turns an affected battery into a challenging fire hazard.

The problem is that crew can't be expected to be able to identify every single affected Apple and Dell variant, and identify whether or not they have the rogue batteries.

So, safety first says, anyone with an Apple or Dell should take the battery out for now, either until there's some way of easily spotting an affected machine before it bursts into flames, or until the chances of their being a duff battery are sufficiently remote - either through replacement of affected batteries, or the equipment falling out of use due to natural attrition.

Last time I flew with SQ, they recommended that the battery was removed when running on EmPower anyway, to stop it charging.

On my laptop, if I use the vendor supplied EmPower lead, it's clever enough to know it's running off low-voltage EmPower (like on VS) and not charge the battery. (If I use a generic adapter, e.g. Targus, it will charge.)

If it's the 110V EmPower, like on SQ, NZ, and others, it can't tell, and will charge the battery.

Cheers,
Mike

[preiffer]

We're working with Dell on this issue at work - several thousand laptops need checking/replacing for both the power adapter and battery issues.

Incidentally, according to our team at Dell, IBM used the same manufacturer at the same time as these faulty ones were made.

Interesting to see the lack of thinkpad recall on IBM/Lenovo's part, don't you think...? [:w]

well ever since i got my ibook i have always been alarmed at the heat it generates. i used to use a dell latitude which never got as hot as the apple. i have yet to send off for battery replacements though and this is just another thing to add to the long list of hardware malfunctions that has occured with the ibook. don't get me wrong i love apple and i love to use my mac. but i switched aproximately a year ago with this ibook and within 3 months a line of dead pixels appeared then the power cord stopped working and i sent it off to applecare over xmas and it still wasn't fixed. a second line of dead pixels appeared within a further 3 months and the alt key broke in half. i managed to get a box sent to me to send it direct to applecare (the xmas try at getting the laptop fixed was through an apple centre) and within 2 weeks it was back to its new self. and now this lol. well its certainly paid off getting applecare .

[preiffer]

Link to the Qantas ban news article

[Neil]

Originally posted by Decker

Originally posted by PVGSLF
I'll be using mine as usual, and printing out the affected serial numbers for the crew to check if they really care to enforce the ban.

Sorry - once you're in the air you don't pick and choose the crew directives to comply with. I don't personally beleive that smoking in the toilets significantly increases your chance of crashing but I don't encourage people to do it.

Lol - good point!! Personally I think that its stupid, but it seems that a lot of carriers are taking this action, rules are rules and as my mother always says, better to be safe then sorry.

So it's OK to take matches, but not use your laptop. Go figure. Sooner or later all these stupid and inconsistent rules will get the better of airlines, airports and all and they'll realise that their custom is stuffed.

According to the Observer today it's OK to take lippy on a flight at Manchester, but not Gatwick: at Nottingham you can take a cigarette lighter but not at Heathrow: at Birmingham woman can't wear gel filled bras but that's OK at Stanstead ... it's OK to take a laptop bag to France but not back from France: but if you fly from Poland to London the sensible old luggage rules apply.

I am fed up with this situation (if you can't tell [:#]) - I've got twelve work flights in the next three weeks across five countries. The inconvenience, extra time, idiocy of the rules is making me to het up for words.

Poo!

ANother silly rule. I can understand the reason but these battery problems have affected like what 0.001% of Dell batteries so hey, lets ban all Dell and Apple laptops.

My MacBoonk isn't one affected so I'll be using it until they tell me otherwise.

Ditto Slinky [y]

Originally posted by Decker

Originally posted by PVGSLF
I'll be using mine as usual, and printing out the affected serial numbers for the crew to check if they really care to enforce the ban.

Sorry - once you're in the air you don't pick and choose the crew directives to comply with. I don't personally beleive that smoking in the toilets significantly increases your chance of crashing but I don't encourage people to do it.

Not picking and choosing. I've complied!
I've made my Laptop as safe as the HP or Sony or Thinkpad next to me by answering Dells recall and checking my batteries. And I can easily prove it.

We also know that this battery fault affects other manufacturers but they have not instigated a recall, and are suddenly less likely too if they get banned from being used on planes.

Of course aircrew are gods who must be unquestionally obeyed. I don't dispute that. But the morons who make up the £$%"%*! rules are starting to drive me mad.

I quote from the virigin website:

Virgin is in communication with Apple and Dell. As soon as this safety issue is resolved these restrictions will be lifted.

I repeat my previous question, how is the saftey issue ever going to be resolved? Never! It will just quietly get forgotten about after a while. So why do we need to suffer the inconvenience now? I better find a carrier with in seat power in Y for future Y flights!

Originally posted by slinky09
So it's OK to take matches, but not use your laptop. Go figure. Sooner or later all these stupid and inconsistent rules will get the better of airlines, airports and all and they'll realise that their custom is stuffed.

According to the Observer today it's OK to take lippy on a flight at Manchester, but not Gatwick: at Nottingham you can take a cigarette lighter but not at Heathrow: at Birmingham woman can't wear gel filled bras but that's OK at Stanstead ... it's OK to take a laptop bag to France but not back from France: but if you fly from Poland to London the sensible old luggage rules apply.

The inconsistencies beggar belief: even before all this crazy stuff it was a minefield (eg laptops out at LHR, not at LGW, phone use during taxiing to gate). Is it any wonder we get frustrated with airlines and airports?

Still, I can kinda relate to this one. Although only six examples of the exploding Dell laptop have been publicly admitted, can you imagine this happening on your plane? http://www.theinquirer.net/default.aspx?article=32550

Cheers, Howard

I'm sure a remember many instances over the years of reports about laptops being too hot to use on laps amongst other things.
Reading the Quantas news item, it isn't particuarly clear, though I'm sure in one place it says that laptops running solely on battery power are ok.

This is my understanding, the battery fault is only a risk when the laptop is plugged in to the power and the battery is actually charging, though ISTBC.
So lets make it simpler for the cabin crew to enforce.... Plugged to inseat power, battery out... no inseat in power in Y, battery OK.
Simple! and I'm happy in Y for the duration that my battery lasts!

[mcmbenjamin]

Originally posted by PVGSLF
Quantas

Qantas is an acronym for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service." pet peeve [:p]

ANother silly rule. I can understand the reason but these battery problems have affected like what 0.001% of Dell batteries so hey, lets ban all Dell and Apple laptops.

Its a low risk, but given the impact if a battery turns into a blazing inferno on a plane, it's a risk I'd rather not have!

And in anyone thinks I'm exaggerating the inferno bit - see here for a rather graphic demonstration:

http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/blogs/sfgate/detail?blogid=19&entry_id=8292

I wouldn't like to be strapped in next to that!

Originally posted by mcmbenjamin

Originally posted by PVGSLF
Quantas

Qantas is an acronym for "Queensland and Northern Territory Aerial Service." pet peeve [:p]

It's a fair cop! And an acronym I normally correct others on too....
Its been a long day! Please accept my sincerest apologies [:I]

[mcmbenjamin]

PVG: I hate to correct people but...

Enjoy Korea!

Well I have batteries which are specifically declared by Apple and Dell as being safe and not requiring to be replaced.

This is the stupidest rule I have ever seen..........

Yep same here. I work in IT support for one of the worlds biggest IT companies supporting several of the UKs largest companys. We all have Dell laptops at work and all have been declared safe but because of these rules and email was sent round the other day asking people requiring business air travel to find alternative airlines to the ones imposing the ban.

Its ludacris. Dell and Apple say specific models are affected so some airlines ban all models but only at certain airports.

World has gone potty. Everyone has lost there common sense.

So can I sit in my seat on the plan lighting my safety matches but not work on my laptop which has been declared safe?

[?]