MacBook Pros with Battery Problems Banned from Flights by FAA

Following Apple’s announcement regarding defective batteries in a number of MacBook Pro laptops, the Federal Aviation Administration is now banning those particular devices from using them on flights.

There was a time when defective batteries didn’t scare people and companies all that much. Even if a recalled was warranted, no one was terrified that a device might catch fire. But that has changed tremendously in the past decade.

With the advanced of technology, each new generation of devices is more powerful than the previous one, while the size usually remains the same. Batteries have to keep up, and modern batteries can hold a massive charge because it’s needed by the hardware. It also means that when a battery fails, it has the potential to catch fire, just like this MacBook Pro.

Not a good prospect for Apple

When the FAA says that you can’t board the plane with your Mac Pro because it’s a flight risk, it sends a terrible message about the company. It’s not like these are ancient laptops, and the recall affects 15-inch MacBook Pros sold between September 2015 and February 2017.

The European Union already warned the appropriate institutions that these models should be turned off and not used during the flight, but the FAA in the United States is taking a step further, and they are saying that you can’t even check it as luggage.

In a statement to NPR, the FAA said that they are “aware of the recalled batteries that are used in some Apple MacBook Pro laptops. In early July, we alerted airlines about the recall, and we informed the public. We issued reminders to continue to follow instructions about recalls outlined in the 2016 FAA Safety Alert for Operators (SAFO) 16011, and provided information provided to the public on FAA's Packsafe website: https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/".

To be fair, no all MacBook Pros sold between September 2015 and February 2017 are affected by the battery problems, and they can easily be identified by the serial number, which can be done via an official website.

In any case, users need to make sure that they don’t have one these laptops when going on trips as they might not be allowed to board.