Qantas And Virgin Australia Issue Total Flight Ban On Samsung Galaxy Note7

Hot on the heels of the FAA’s decision in the US to ban Samsung’s ignition-happy Galaxy Note7 on all flights, local carriers Qantas and Virgin yesterday announced a similar stance, effective immediately.

A not-unexpected course of action, to be sure and it’s good to see both airlines act swiftly on the situation. Qantas had already prohibited charging of the device while airborne and this new announcement pretty much completes the Note7’s exile from the airways.

Here’s Qantas’ announcement, which as you may have guessed, applies to Jetstar also:

Qantas and Jetstar customers are advised that the carriage of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices on-board is prohibited on ALL FLIGHTS effective 12:01am (AEDT) Sunday 16 October 2016. This is due to concerns regarding potential fire risk from the device’s battery after a number of incidents worldwide and follows a ban put in place by regulators overseas. The ban applies to devices being carried onto the aircraft, in carry-on baggage as well as check-in luggage. Other Samsung devices are not affected.

And Virgin’s statement:

From Sunday 16 October 2016, Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices can no longer be carried on Virgin Australia flights. This is due to safety concerns around the device and follows the implementation of a ban by the U.S. Department of Transportation.
 
Effective 12:01am AEDT on Sunday 16 October, guests travelling on Virgin Australia services must comply with this ban by not travelling with this device, whether on their person, in their carry on luggage or in a checked bag.

So there you have it. I really wanted to make a joke about burner phones, but I just couldn’t come up with anything. Please, don’t let that stop you though.

[Qantas and Virgin Australia]


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