Virgin tells travellers to remove Apple, Dell laptop batteries

[Edwin P K 0]

Virgin tells travellers to remove Apple, Dell laptop batteries

By Tony Smith [More by this author]

14th September 2006 14:44 GMT

 

 

Virgin Atlantic has become the third airline to restrict the use of Apple and Dell laptop batteries on its flights. Passengers who want to take their Inspirons, Lattitudes, iBooks, PowerBooks, MacBooks or MacBook Pros onto the carrier's planes are asked to remove the battery first.

 

Like Korean Air, which recently instituted its own battery ban, Virgin Atlantic isn't preventing such notebook owners from operating their laptops, but it is limiting them to seat-side power supplies. Flying coach or economy without an in-seat power supply? Then you can't use your Apple or Dell machine.

 

Each battery must be kept separate from its host computer, wrapped up and kept in the traveller's carry-on luggage. Passengers may only bring two batteries on board with them, the airline warned.

 

Virgin said it would lift these restrictions "as soon as this safety issue is resolved". How long that might be is anyone's guess, since it assumes that any given Apple or Dell laptop will have a new, replaced battery.

 

Apple and Dell both issued battery recalls last month, naming Sony as the supplier of the potentially self-combusting power cells. Sony itself has not recalled Vaio-brand notebook batteries, and Virgin is not restricting the use of Sony's laptops on its flights. ®

[Gavin Andrew David 6]

Reason behind it is the batteries can explode imid air?

[Edwin P K 0]

yeah, it's about the exploding batteries...now inflight broadband sure close business man...

[Sanjay Thaker 0]

problems for Connexion by Boeing!

[Edwin P K 0]

problems for Connexion by Boeing!

No problems...already close shop!

[Woei Shen 0]

Fingers crossed, hope QR wouldn't implement this as well

[Kevin Teh 0]

sounds bad for those like me using SANYO built battery on Inspiron.... we have no problem

[Woei Shen 0]

How do I know which batt is on my Inspiron 6400?

[Seth K 3]

How do I know which batt is on my Inspiron 6400?

Check ur notebook battery, it clearly printed

Edited September 16, 2006 by Seth K