Restrictions on smartphones aboard airplanes have long been a bugbear of business travelers. Rules proscribing their use are slowly falling away; they might not after all, it has been decided, interfere with an aircraft's systems. (This was discovered, coincidentally, around the same time that carriers found that they could charge for onboard Wi-Fi.) But now airlines are banning them once again. Or at least one particular type: the Samsung Galaxy Note 7.
These phones, it seems, might pose a real danger to an airliner in flight. It was the Note 7’s propensity to catch fire that persuaded American authorities to ban them on American flights last week. (Back in September, some carriers had already told passengers not to re-charge them while aboard.) However, in the past few days, many other airlines around the world have followed suit. Over the weekend Japan’s transport ministry said it was prohibiting passengers from flying with the phones. Those caught trying to smuggle the devices onto carriers such as ANA would have them confiscated, it said. Emirates and Etihad are also taking a hard line, the latter insisting that "Guests must not carry Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in their checked-in baggage, in cabin baggage, or on their person."
Other airlines across Asia, including Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and AirAsia have also now barred passengers from travelling with the devices. Some still allow for them to be carried in the hold, as long as they are switched off—except when en route to America, where the ban is total. (Authorities there warned: “Passengers who attempt to evade the ban by packing their phone in checked luggage are increasing the risk of a catastrophic incident.”) A few European carriers, including Alitalia, have imposed their own restrictions. Others, such as British Airways, are currently only excluding them from flights to or from countries that have top-level bans, such America and Hong Kong, where the main airport has restrictions in place.
The problem lies with the lithium-ion battery which contains flammable liquid electrolyte. It seems the Note 7’s battery proves particularly vulnerable after a short-circuit, and several have exploded. The phones have been recalled by Samsung and the range discontinued. All of which is bad news for owners who flew the first leg of a journey before the ban was introduced. Electronics shops in the duty-free area are no doubt hoping that sales of replacements will catch fire. Metaphorically, at least.
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