FAA bans recalled mid-2015 MBPr from flights

[MacInWin]

According to this: Recalled 2015 15-Inch MacBook Pro Models With Faulty Batteries Banned From Flights in U.S. - MacRumors

the FAA has banned from all US flights those MBPr which have been recalled and which have not yet had the battery replaced.

My question is, how are they going to know? I have two of them, one for me and one for my wife, neither is on the recall list, or have already had the battery replaced, so both should be safe to take flying. But how is an airline to know? Part of the article at the link says:

In a statement to Bloomberg, the Federal Aviation Administration said that major U.S. airlines have been notified about the recall and have been instructed to follow guidelines for goods with recalled batteries.

That means affected Apple laptops that have not received replacement batteries are not allowed on flights as cargo or in carry-on luggage, which is standard operating procedure.

Earlier this month, the European Union Aviation Safety Agency also warned European airlines to make sure affected MacBook Pro models are switched off and not used during flights.

So the responsibility is now transferred to the airlines. Not TSA, not FAA, the airlines. This ought to be fun to watch being implemented. Are all carry on bags going to be opened at the gate to see if they have a laptop? How will the airline people at the gate know if that particular Mac has been recalled? Repaired?

I suspect some, if not all, airlines will just take the sledgehammer approach and ban all Macs, which will truly create an interesting discussion. But you can't blame them for that approach--the FAA has transferred liability to the airlines, so the lawyers in the airlines will take the "safe" approach of totally overkilling the issue.

Thoughts?

EDIT: Another thought. If the laptop is in a checked bag, when it get x-rayed and the laptop appears, will TSA then open the bag and remove the laptop? How will you know? How will you get your laptop back? What if you have a non-Apple laptop, but the TSA folks take it anyway?

Oooooh, this is gonna be fun!!!

 

[pm-r]

Oooooh, this is gonna be fun!!!

Gheese... Only if some who might be affected like nightmares...!!!


- Patrick
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[MacInWin]

Yeah, what the FAA didn't consider (or ignored) is that the airlines don't even know what's in the checked bags, have no facility at the gate to examine carry-on bags, don't know which computers are recalled, or which are repaired. But the FAA is holding them responsible. Not hard to get to a decision to just ban all laptops of all types from all flights.

Maybe Apple will step up here and work with the airlines to figure out how to keep the airlines up-to-date with the serials of the affected but not repaired machines. After all, it's not in Apple's best interest to be blamed for some business person having a laptop confiscated because some airline employee got over-zealous.

 

[pm-r]

Maybe Apple will step up here and work with the airlines to figure out how to keep the airlines up-to-date with the serials of the affected but not repaired machines.

I was thinking the same thing and maybe they could help by issuing some sort of clearance certificates like a boarding pass or better or...???

As I read the update, every user toting any Mac model that has a MacBook Pro is suspect. No agent should be expected to know the difference between such similar labelled models.




- Patrick
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[MacInWin]

If they issue some certificate, it has to be pretty hard to duplicate or counterfeit, it has to be very clear (the clerks at the gates are not the sharpest tool in the shed sometimes) and it has to be attached to the machine somehow. And I still don't know how that dull tool at the gate is supposed to know the difference between a mid-2015 MPBr and any other MPB of any age. And how do they prevent them coming on board? Are they going to search every carry-on?

EDIT: Maybe they will add that question to the list of did you pack the bag yourself, has it been in your possession, did anybody ask you to take anything on the airplane, do you have a mid-2015 MacBook Pro retina that has been recalled but still has the original battery?

 

[badshoehabit]

Not very well thought out.

 

[chscag]

Not very well thought out.

This is typical Sue. Whenever our government gets involved and "passes the buck", you can bet it will be chaotic. Airport security is busy enough without now having to worry about which laptop is okay and which isn't. And like Jake said, the airline desk clerks and agents aren't always the brightest light in the array.

 

[pm-r]

This is typical Sue. Whenever our government gets involved and "passes the buck", you can bet it will be chaotic.

A very similar situation happens here in Canada and the descriptive words just rush to my brain: INCOMPETENCE and IDIOTS.

But odd that the high salaries seem to remain in place.


- Patrick
======

 

[MacInWin]

"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." Ronald Reagan

 

[Slydude]

"The nine most terrifying words in the English language are: I'm from the government and I'm here to help." Ronald Reagan

I had forgotten that quote. There are a number of problems with the "solution" that's being mandated -- some you all have touched on.

1. This may be a solution in search of a problem. I realize there is some danger but realistically the airlnes, TSA, or whmever are not only being asked to identify Mac laptops but worse yet identfy a specific model/year (a tiny fraction of the total number carried by passengers).The machine's owner may/may not even be able to do that.

2. The intention is good but as usual the proposed solution is the equivalent of trying to hit a fly with a wrecking ball from 200 yards away. Large bureacuracies generally don't do well generating responses that are both swift and precise.

3. As far as I can tell nothing that has been proposed addresses the possibility other makes/models of computers could easily experience similar problems.

 

[MacInWin]

Aaaaand, it begins: Some Airlines Banning All MacBook Pros From Checked Luggage and Preventing Use During Flights - MacRumors
Airlines don't have the time to examine and check for bad vs. good, so they ban all. I think I may have to sell my two 15" MBP and get something different. And if too many follow Virgin Australia and ban all "MacBooks" then it may be necessary to move away from Apple altogether. According to Virgin Australia, just about anything labelled Apple is going to be unacceptable as they won't know the difference between a MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, much less the variants of size. Sledgehammer to kill a fly approach.

 

[pm-r]

According to Virgin Australia, just about anything labelled Apple is going to be unacceptable as they won't know the difference between a MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, much less the variants of size. Sledgehammer to kill a fly approach.

Sounds like time to bring out various kinds of disguise kits, or at least, maybe more than what are already available.

Maybe even some Samsung or Toshiba decals.


- Patrick
======

 

[chscag]

Nope. Just leave your Mac behind and take your iPad instead. Of course some over diligent TSA worker will see the Apple logo on the iPad and assume that it's a portable Mac computer and confiscate it.

 

[krs]

Aaaaand, it begins: Some Airlines Banning All MacBook Pros From Checked Luggage and Preventing Use During Flights - MacRumors
Airlines don't have the time to examine and check for bad vs. good, so they ban all. I think I may have to sell my two 15" MBP and get something different. And if too many follow Virgin Australia and ban all "MacBooks" then it may be necessary to move away from Apple altogether. According to Virgin Australia, just about anything labelled Apple is going to be unacceptable as they won't know the difference between a MacBook, MacBook Air and MacBook Pro, much less the variants of size. Sledgehammer to kill a fly approach.

I just read this thread and I think people are overreacting a bit.
For instance - re the bolded part in the quote, the article actually states:
Virgin Australia, meanwhile, has banned "all Apple MacBooks" from checked luggage, requiring customers to put their MacBooks in their carry-on luggage.

Big difference between Virgin Australia "banning all MacBooks" and "banning all MacBooks from checked luggage"

I was interested in that because I will be connecting to Virgin Australia in LA next Tuesday coming from Montreal.
But as long as it's OK in carry-on, I'm fine; it's a MacBookair anyway, but as people have said - airlines may not know the difference.

In general, I can't believe people actually put their laptops into checked luggage.
I have had enough things stolen out of my checked luggage on various flights that I wouldn't dream of putting anything really valuable in there - like a laptop.

 

[pm-r]

Well, it looks like the mid-2015 MBPros now have some no-fly company...

TSA bans Star Wars Coke bottles from flights because they look like bombs
41
‘Replica and inert explosives aren’t allowed in either carry-on or checked bags’
TSA bans Star Wars Coke bottles from flights because they look like bombs - The Verge



- Patrick
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[MacInWin]

@krs, did you miss this in the article I posted?

Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways have both posted warnings on their website letting customers know that affected 2015 15-inch MacBook Pro models cannot be brought on board at all unless those models have received a replacement battery.

So if you are on either of those airlines, you need to somehow be able to prove to them that your 2105 15-inch MBP is either NOT recalled, or has been recalled and the battery changed. No indication of what proof may be acceptable.

 

[krs]

™MacInWin - I didn't read the whole article, just the part that might affect me on my upcoming trip which would be Air Canada and Virgin Australia.

As far as I can see I'm OK for either one - at least so far since I always keep my Mac in my carry-on.

 

[Slydude]

I just read this thread and I think people are overreacting a bit.
For instance - re the bolded part in the quote, the article actually states:
Virgin Australia, meanwhile, has banned "all Apple MacBooks" from checked luggage, requiring customers to put their MacBooks in their carry-on luggage.

Assume for a minute that someone has a notebook with an affected battery (I didn't confine this to Macs because this could easily affect other manufacturers), I fail to see how the location of a laptop with an errant battery is going to make much difference,. They seem to be assuming that the owner is going to be actively looking for signs the battery is about to fail.

 

[MacInWin]

Sly, I guess they think if it breaks into fire in the cabin they can somehow handle it. Maybe buckets of water? Anyway, in the baggage containers, the risk is higher, although the containers are designed to contain fire to a certain extent. And in the baggage, you don't know there is a problem until there is a major issue. So I can see the limitation on checked bags.

 

[krs]

I see it the same as Jake.

There have been fires in the cabin, not necessarily related to this, where the crew managed to contain them and the plane landed safely except for some passengers having to be treated for smoke inhalation.
However, a fire in the baggage compartment is a whole different issue.