Virgin is the latest airline to ban the use of battery
powered Dell and Apple laptops that could cause a fire
hazard.
Virgin Atlantic took the decision in light of the battery
recalls made by Dell and Apple last month.
Dell has recalled 4.1 million batteries and Apple has asked for
the return of 1.8 million, after a small number of the Dell
machines caught fire as a result of faulty batteries. Both sets of
the faulty batteries were made by Sony.
The only way the owners of these laptops can now use their
machine on Virgin flights is to remove the batteries and power the
laptop from seat power points, but most Virgin seats don’t have
such points.
Dell and Apple users will have to spend more than the equivalent
of a new laptop and travel in Virgin Upper Class to guarantee a
power point at their seat.
Australian airline Qantas and Korean Air have already banned the
use of fire hazard batteries from their flights.
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