If you’ve taken a flight in the past few months, you’ve no doubt heard the seemingly endless announcements about the Samsung Galaxy Note7 ban. It’s announced by gate agents before boarding, it’s often announced multiple times by the flight attendants before departure and during the flight, there are automated airport announcements about it, etc.
While I understand the need for the announcements, I think we can all agree they became somewhat repetitive.
Well, if you’ve grown tired of the announcements, there’s good news. The FAA is no longer requiring airlines to announce the Samsung Galaxy Note7 ban. So while the ban is still in place, airlines just aren’t required to announce it anymore. Here’s the logic for the change in policy:
The Department of Transportation removed the requirement for air carriers to specifically notify passengers about the Note7 phone immediately prior to boarding due to the high degree of public awareness of the ban since issuance of the emergency restriction/prohibition order, as well as the extensive efforts by Samsung and U.S. wireless providers to make all Note7 users aware the phone is recalled and banned from transport on U.S. aircraft. The awareness of the ban is evidenced by the significant rate of recall returns.
Samsung said that it has successfully recalled more than 96% of all Note7 devices in the U.S. since this order went into effect, and U.S. wireless providers have pushed out firmware created by Samsung that prevents batteries on the remaining devices from charging.
Now, of course airlines still have the option of announcing the ban, so it’s possible that not all airlines will change their scripts overnight. However, I’d certainly expect the announcement to be phased out over the coming days and weeks.
Amusingly, I heard the following from a Southwest gate agent at AUS as I was walking by the gate (tongue in cheek): "Oh, and by the way, if you still have one of those Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones that was recalled last year, you're going to have to turn those in to me as you board the plane."
who is Bill to make such comments? naive and quite pathetic. Seriously is the point that Apple is free from practices such as misusing, abusing and even stealing? they are probably just better at not getting this widely and negatively public. Browse the internet for the Swiss Federal Railways clock in iOS6 or the "Retina" eyeball used to promote the MacBook Pro. No end to bad practices. No saints and hopefully same Karma ;-)
Qatar Airways does it on all flights. FAA has influence beyond the US.
Indeed...I have never heard a vocal announcement concerning banned Samsung devices in Europe.
Should the header not be 'US Airlines....'? FAA is just a local regulator I thought?
@ Ron -- Yes, though I've heard airlines around the world announce it. The only airline I've flown in the past few months where they didn't announce it was EgyptAir.
@Robert Schrader -- what if, instead of crazy, I called you racist (because that is what you have just shown you are)?
The empirical probability of a Note 7 blowing up was obviously higher than normal for a phone, but minuscule nonetheless. To harken a tired analogy: you're more likely to be killed in a car accident on the way to the airport, than in a Note 7-induced onboard fire.
Call me crazy, but with all the white trash in this country who thinks rules don't apply to them, I'm glad the airlines have been explicitly publicizing and, presumably, enforcing this regulation. Would hate for the plane I'm on to go up in flames because some old hick can't leave his trailer park without his Sayam-sung in tow.
@Bill
They also told me my Galaxy S7 was water resistant. Took it for a short rafting trip (in the pocket of one of those pants that don't absorb water readily nonetheless), proved it wasn't. They'd only comp half the replacement fee, which was originally well over $400.
There is no bad publicity. Trump and Kardashians have proved it beyond a doubt.
"Samsung said that it has successfully recalled more than 96% of all Note7 devices in the U.S."
Note: Samsung also said that the replacement Note7 units they shipped to customers were safe. You can't trust Samsung - they stole endlessly from Apple, and all the negative publicity is well deserved. Don't mess with karma.
Samsung are probably not enjoying the constant negative publicity