Virgin Atlantic Bans Dell, Apple Laptops

TechFreep writes, "Amid a slew of incidents involving exploding Sony batteries, Virgin Atlantic announced that it won't allow passengers to use batteries in any Apple or Dell laptops on flights. The announcement, posted on Virgin's website, said that passengers may carry on the laptop itself, but batteries must be properly wrapped and stowed away in carry-on for the duration of the flight. However, the airline provided no details as to what proper wrapping entails. For those who wish to use a laptop while on the plane, Virgin plans to provide power adapters on flights where outlets are available." Will Virgin allow on board exploding Sony batteries in IBM ThinkPads?

Meh.

[eosp]

Closing the barn door after the horse is long gone.

Re:Outrageous.

[Suddenly_Dead]

There are no cases of Dell laptops causing risks to airplanes either, are there? Both varieties of laptops have certain models which use exploding Sony batteries, which is the heart of the issue. Why are the Apple laptops different in this circumstance? Or are you just on the Dell-bashing and/or Apple-loving bandwagon(s)?

Uninformed management

[Anonymous Coward]

This is worse. The batteries do not have to be in the computer to have this issue. It is better to have them in the plane where people are, so the possible fire could be put out. If a battery explodes in the cargo area where nobody is there to put it out, the outcome could be far more tragic! They should have done their research prior to mandating this change...

(Unless their "proper packaging" includes automatic sprinkler systems)

Wow

[joel8x]

So, even if you are using a 3rd party battery or have one of the replaced ones, you know they won't let you use it anyway. That's one less airline I will be using. Stupid. Just stupid.

Why not ban all muslims from airplanes, since a few muslims hijacked some airplanes? IT'S THE SAME THOUGHT PROCESS. You think the muslims are pissed about the pope right now? Wait 'till you piss off some Apple fanatics - then you will be in a living hell.

Ugly hack

[MoogMan]

/me tapes over the DELL sticker

Welly welly well!

[aarku]

As an iBook user, I hereby ban my use of Virgin Atlantic!

85 Watt MacBook Pro Power Supplies

[mhocker]

Oh, and how are us MacBook Pro users going to use the "inflight power" with our monster 85 watt power supplies that don't work on ANY airline?

No toothpaste, no pocket knives, now no laptop. I'm really getting sick of the air travel nazis. It's making the "won't you think of the children" bunch look sane.

It IS a real fire hazard

[Secrity]

It is not really a security issue but it is a real fire hazard problem. Dell batteries have a documented history (some with pictures or videos) of bursting into flames, and I would not want to be on an airplane at 40,000 feet when somebody's Dell bursts into flame. I know that the recall is only for certain models but it would be too onerous for the flightcrew to sort out which Dells or Apples could become airborn flambeaus.

http://wcco.com/consumer/local_story_148150249.htm l [wcco.com]
http://www.gizmodo.com/gadgets/laptops/dell-laptop -explodes-in-flames-182257.php [gizmodo.com]
http://www.consumeraffairs.com/news04/2006/08/dell _fire.html [consumeraffairs.com]

Re:Outrageous.

[devilspgd]

How often do you fly on Virgin? Do you have any status there (awarded due to mileage?) If not, do you think they'll care?

As far as the internet petition, those tend to be worth the paper they're printed on, so I'm sure the airline will care there too.

Re:Seat power outlets

[rynthetyn]

Heck, I flew all the way to India, didn't get let off the plane for 18 hours (security in London was extra tight because it was right after the subway bombings so they wouldn't let us off during the refueling stop), and I had nothing but a book and an old portable CD player to keep me entertained. Wasn't the most pleasant plane trip, but I survived, and not only that, came home smarter because I ran out of books in the middle of the trip and found A Brief History of Time in a bookstore (it made surprisingly good travel reading). People who feel the need to drag their computers along on vacation miss out on the benefits that come from reading a good book while traveling.

Re:Seat power outlets

[Brandybuck]

Bring a book! You can fit four to six good paperback books in the space taken up by a laptop.