Korean Air bans Apple, Dell notebooks on board

[AppleInsider]

Korean Air has forbidden the use of Dell and Apple laptop PCs during flight due to the risk of battery explosion, according to the Korean Times.

The Korean national flag carrier said yesterday that the ban was put in place after the two computer manufacturers announced a recall of batteries used in some of their notebook models.

"Due to the risk of onboard fire, we are not allowing passengers to use certain brands of laptops on the plane. Safety always comes first for us," a Korean Air spokesperson told the Times, adding they were unsure when the ban would be lifted.

Although the airline is prohibiting all models of Dell notebooks and Apple's PowerBook and iBook systems, users can reportedly continue to carry them on board the flight if they separate the batteries into checked baggage.

"We have put notices at check-in counters and boarding gates but we don’t inspect all carry-on baggage," a gate attendant told the Times.

Korean Air is the second airline to restrict the in-flight use of Dell and Apple notebooks in recent weeks. Late last month, Australia's Qantas announced a similar policy.

Both Dell and Apple have questioned the airlines' decision. An Apple Korea spokesperson called the new policy an overreaction, while a Dell product manager said the airlines could "easily check out whether a laptop uses a Sony battery or other brand instead of banning them all."

In what has been dubbed the two largest consumer electronics recalls in history, Dell last month recalled 4.1 million notebook batteries followed by Apple recalling 1.8 million -- all of which included cells manufactured by Sony Corp.

The notebook battery packs contain cells of rolled up metal strips. Sony has said that during production, crimping the rolls left tiny shards of metal loose in the cells, which could cause the batteries to short-circuit.

[ View this article at AppleInsider.com ]

[syklee26]

what da **ck?

fine, I will fly Asiana to go to Korea then. I will miss smokin hot stewardesses in Korean Air though.

[SpamSandwich]

I guess people will just have to drink more and sleep more on their flights.

[Robin Hood]

Wouldn't it be worse if the battery caught fire in the hold, as there'd be no humans there to put out the flames?

[SpamSandwich]

Originally Posted by Robin Hood

Wouldn't it be worse if the battery caught fire in the hold, as there'd be no humans there to put out the flames?

I had the same thought. What are the odds the battery explodes even if there's no power being drawn, due to the nature of the design defect?

[theapplegenius]

What about me with my non-Sony battery? This is utter garbage. I hate Korean Air*.

*I have never been to Korea.

[bdj21ya]

Originally Posted by SpamSandwich

I had the same thought. What are the odds the battery explodes even if there's no power being drawn, due to the nature of the design defect?

I'm no electrical engineer, but I'm pretty sure it needs to be drawing at least some power to short the circuit (shorting a circuit with no electricity running through it doesn't do much). Of course, if the laptop were left in "suspend" mode...

[deckard]

Hate to be picky, but what about Sony laptops? I mean, the whole reason the Apple and Dell laptops are exploding is because of the batteries right? And those batteries are made by Sony right?

Sooooo... doesn't it make sense that Sony would use their own batteries in their own laptops? Or do they use someone else's batteries as they know their own product is crap?!?

Sheesh, these airlines need to stop, think and then implement. Nothing like a knee jerk reaction to make everyone relaxed and happy!

[Hiro]

This is the airline with the worst safety record for any airline considered "large". They can't manage to follow flight procedures consistently enough to make me dare to go onboard one of their airplanes anymore. Scariest and smelliest flight I have EVER been on was one of theirs, ungh!

And the problems are not with battery draw, but during battery charging. You can use the battery to run the computers in safely if it's not plugged in. Or plug in the computer and leave the battery out.

[keenspoon]

Originally Posted by Hiro

This is the airline with the worst safety record for any airline considered "large". They can't manage to follow flight procedures consistently enough to make me dare to go onboard one of their airplanes anymore. Scariest and smelliest flight I have EVER been on was one of theirs, ungh!

And the problems are not with battery draw, but during battery charging. You can use the battery to run the computers in safely if it's not plugged in. Or plug in the computer and leave the battery out.

They have one of the worst air safety records of any major airline with First Officers sitting mute while the Captain makes errors that crash planes. The only thing I am not clear on is whether this is just an overreaction to the fact that an incident would put them up there with the worst airlines in the world in terms of safety; or if it is an attempt to give Korean companies some help in the laptop and battery arena. Korea is a very xenophobic and protectionist country.

[lundy]

Does this mean that Kormac77 can't get any more inside info?

[DeaPeaJay]

Maybe I'm being picky but isn't the headline of this article wrong? It says, "Korean Air bans Apple, Dell notebooks on board". When I first read that I thought that Apple was banned, but Dell's were allowed on. Shouldn't it read "Korean Air bans Apple and Dell notebooks on board"

[kim kap sol]

i am making asbestos plastic right now

[preston2o3]

Originally Posted by deckard

Hate to be picky, but what about Sony laptops? I mean, the whole reason the Apple and Dell laptops are exploding is because of the batteries right? And those batteries are made by Sony right?

Sooooo... doesn't it make sense that Sony would use their own batteries in their own laptops? Or do they use someone else's batteries as they know their own product is crap?!?

Sheesh, these airlines need to stop, think and then implement. Nothing like a knee jerk reaction to make everyone relaxed and happy!

I hate korean air, f!@#ing stupid people. You think Sony would make batteries for company's like Apple and Dell and not use them for there own computers. If that is the case, Sony should be left out when it comes to electronics when company's want to outsource. I like to know if they have thought about this at all, and i want to know if sony was using any of the batteries that were recalled.

[kresh]

I'm all for it. It's a huge risk.

If you were the person responsible for making safety policy and a plane went down due to a fire from one of these notebooks then how would you explain it to family members that you knew that there was a risk of a fire from these notebooks, but you decided to let them onboard anyway.

It's a reasonable safety precaution.

edit: As far as allowing Sony notebooks onboard, well Sony has not come out publicly and stated there was a fire hazard and recalled the batteries for their notebooks.

[kresh]

On a side note, how hard is it to put out these battery fires?

Is it like a magnesium fire, that is almost impossible to put out and burns right through almost anything?

[preston2o3]

Originally Posted by kresh

I'm all for it. It's a huge risk.

If you were the person responsible for making safety policy and a plane went down due to a fire from one of these notebooks then how would you explain it to family members that you knew that there was a risk of a fire from these notebooks, but you decided to let them onboard anyway.

It's a reasonable safety precaution.

edit: As far as allowing Sony notebooks onboard, well Sony has not come out publicly and stated there was a fire hazard and recalled the batteries for their notebooks.

I think they should at least check to see if the battery was made by Sony or not, by checking the serial number.

[kresh]

Originally Posted by preston2o3

I think they should at least check to see if the battery was made by Sony or not, by checking the serial number.

And if these databases are not completely accurate? I remember during the first few days when this issue came out people were contacting Apple because their number was not in the on-line database, but Apple was saying it was one of the batteries affected.

And if Sony announces next week that they should have included x block of serial numbers as well. I'm not sure the issue is settled completely, and it's not unreasonable to err on the side of caution.

edit: link - http://forums.macrumors.com/showthre...hlight=battery post 58 on

[pmoeser]

I was of the understanding that there was only an over heating/explosion/fire issue if the laptop was plugged in and charging.
So unless you are in Business class with your laptop plugged in and charging during the flight it is a total non-issue.
Please correct me if I am wrong as I am about to fly with QANTAS and want to have my facts straight before I commence arguing with them!

[sunilraman]

Originally Posted by pmoeser

I was of the understanding that there was only an over heating/explosion/fire issue if the laptop was plugged in and charging. So unless you are in Business class with your laptop plugged in and charging during the flight it is a total non-issue... Please correct me if I am wrong as I am about to fly with QANTAS and want to have my facts straight before I commence arguing with them!

Mate better check with them before flying.

[sunilraman]

Originally Posted by preston2o3

I hate korean air, f!@#ing stupid people. You think Sony would make batteries for company's like Apple and Dell and not use them for there own computers. If that is the case, Sony should be left out when it comes to electronics when company's want to outsource. I like to know if they have thought about this at all, and i want to know if sony was using any of the batteries that were recalled.

Is it still that all flights to Europe you are not even allowed to carry mobile phones or laptops onto planes. And no liquids at all. You put all your stuff in a clear plastic bag. God knows what happens to what you can put in your hand carry-on bags.

Yeah, forget about cellphones and laptops on board - enjoy the inflight entertainment, or if that sucks, just get yourself massively drunk on white wine or beer or something.

[sunilraman]

Originally Posted by SpamSandwich

"This Wu's For You"

Nice signature.

[progmac]

Originally Posted by sunilraman

Yeah, forget about cellphones and laptops on board - enjoy the inflight entertainment, or if that sucks, just get yourself massively drunk on white wine or beer or something.

At 5$ a pop these days. Where have the free drinks gone?

[sunilraman]

Originally Posted by progmac

At 5$ a pop these days. Where have the free drinks gone?

Gone to fuel to keep the plane in the air... Actually, maybe they should power the engines with Liquor.

[meelash]

Originally Posted by DeaPeaJay

Maybe I'm being picky but isn't the headline of this article wrong? It says, "Korean Air bans Apple, Dell notebooks on board". When I first read that I thought that Apple was banned, but Dell's were allowed on. Shouldn't it read "Korean Air bans Apple and Dell notebooks on board"

No.

You're not being picky, you're just displaying illiteracy.

[dac0nvu]

Originally Posted by meelash

No.

You're not being picky, you're just displaying illiteracy.

Yes he's being picky and yes he's right. While we're at it, the last word in the title should have been spelled "onboard."

[wnurse]

Originally Posted by dac0nvu

Yes he's being picky and yes he's right. While we're at it, the last word in the title should have been spelled "onboard."

Actually, he is being illiterate and he's not right. The comma implies "and". Example, I could say, "I went fishing, flying, and snorkeling this weekend". I could have also said "I went fishing and flying and snorkeling this weekend" and it would have the exact same meaning. This is just another apple fanboy who is looking to justify his paronia (i assume he thinks every headline with the word apple in it must be bashing apple unless it says some thing like "Apple president Steve Jobs just revealed as god".

Before correcting the editor or journalist of any news paper, website etc, one should make sure one is on solid footing and knows what one is talking about least one looks like a fool.
If you are not sure what you are criticizing, then don't.

[BMWintoxication]

didn't samsung had a batt problem too?.. ... why didn't they ban themselves bak then?

[wnurse]

Originally Posted by BMWintoxication

didn't samsung had a batt problem too?.. ... why didn't they ban themselves bak then?

I presume not all battery problems are the same?. Having a bad battery is different than having one that can explode the laptop and/or cause it to ignite.

[DeaPeaJay]

Originally Posted by wnurse

Actually, he is being illiterate and he's not right. The comma implies "and". Example, I could say, "I went fishing, flying, and snorkeling this weekend". I could have also said "I went fishing and flying and snorkeling this weekend" and it would have the exact same meaning. This is just another apple fanboy who is looking to justify his paronia (i assume he thinks every headline with the word apple in it must be bashing apple unless it says some thing like "Apple president Steve Jobs just revealed as god".

Before correcting the editor or journalist of any news paper, website etc, one should make sure one is on solid footing and knows what one is talking about least one looks like a fool.
If you are not sure what you are criticizing, then don't.

Oh give me a break! I was right and you proved my point. if you're listing off things like "I went fishing, flying and snorkeling" you separate the lists with a comma and end it with an "and".

You wouldn't say "I went fishing, flying this weekend"

If anything, the press might disregard this grammar rule for the sake of making the headline shorter. But I'm not a fanboy and I don't sound like a fool. I'm just being nitpicky for the sake of being nitpicky. sheesh

[wnurse]

Originally Posted by DeaPeaJay

Oh give me a break! I was right and you proved my point. if you're listing off things like "I went fishing, flying and snorkeling" you separate the lists with a comma and end it with an "and".

You wouldn't say "I went fishing, flying this weekend"

If anything, the press might disregard this grammar rule for the sake of making the headline shorter. But I'm not a fanboy and I don't sound like a fool. I'm just being nitpicky for the sake of being nitpicky. sheesh

Really? Copy and paste the headline into any grammer checking program. Microsoft word is one suggestion but please, feel free to use any grammer checking program and get back to me. You can say "I went fishing, flying this weekend".

That would be a grammatically correct sentence. See, you showing your illiteracy again.
Please shut up and move on and stop embarassing yourself. Unless you are an english professor or language specialist, please don't correct unless you are absolutely sure you are correct. No one likes getting corrected by someone who doesn't know what they are talking about. Just because the sentence sounds funny to you does not mean it is grammatically incorrect.

[yama]

Originally Posted by wnurse

grammer

Originally Posted by wnurse

See, you showing your illiteracy again.

Originally Posted by wnurse

Please shut up and move on and stop embarassing yourself.

Delicious irony.

[sunilraman]

Actually, it's all a question of style. Other than mispelling "grammar" as "grammer" in the posts above, I believe both versions are acceptable. Onboard or on board is okay, although "onboard" is a better choice.

Korean Air bans Apple, Dell notebooks on board
[This is more an American-English style, where sentences are shrunk, eg. "Apple will be releasing its profit reports Tuesday", which would never fly in [the] UK or Australia, where it would have to be written as "Apple will be releasing its profit reports on Tuesday"]

Arguing about grammar nowadays is quite pointless. Different countries and news agencies will have their own style guide - ask anyone worth their salt that works in the book/ magazine/ news publishing industry. Preferably the sub-editors or editors themselves that determine the final wording.

AppleInsider nonetheless has a history of a few boo-boos here an there, ah, I prefer to let them off the hook. Because then I can write bad Engrish and make bad attempts at hip hop foshizell languagez yo.

[sunilraman]

Originally Posted by wnurse

...grammer...

This is a common mistake in posts especially when arguing about spelling and grammar...!!!

[dac0nvu]

Originally Posted by wnurse

Really? Copy and paste the headline into any grammer checking program. Microsoft word is one suggestion but please, feel free to use any grammer checking program and get back to me. You can say "I went fishing, flying this weekend".

That whole paragraph is funny.

Originally Posted by wnurse

That would be a grammatically correct sentence. See, you showing your illiteracy again.
Please shut up and move on and stop embarassing yourself. Unless you are an english professor or language specialist, please don't correct unless you are absolutely sure you are correct. No one likes getting corrected by someone who doesn't know what they are talking about. Just because the sentence sounds funny to you does not mean it is grammatically incorrect.

I don't think anyone was arguing that the headline was grammatically incorrect. It was just misleading. I don't know where you got the idea that a comma implies "and". That's just plain wrong. No need for Word, just fire up Dictionary.app.

What DeaPeaJay brought up was the fact that the headline implied something that was not the case.

[DeaPeaJay]

Originally Posted by wnurse

Really? Copy and paste the headline into any grammer checking program. Microsoft word is one suggestion but please, feel free to use any grammer checking program and get back to me. You can say "I went fishing, flying this weekend".

That would be a grammatically correct sentence. See, you showing your illiteracy again.
Please shut up and move on and stop embarassing yourself. Unless you are an english professor or language specialist, please don't correct unless you are absolutely sure you are correct. No one likes getting corrected by someone who doesn't know what they are talking about. Just because the sentence sounds funny to you does not mean it is grammatically incorrect.

Just because Word doesn't catch it doesn't mean it's correct. Word screws up all the time.

This is from Purdue's English section of their website:

5. Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses written in a series.

The Constitution establishes the legislative, executive, and judicial branches of government.
The candidate promised to lower taxes, protect the environment, reduce crime, and end unemployment.
The prosecutor argued that the defendant, who was at the scene of the crime, who had a strong revenge motive, and who had access to the murder weapon, was guilty of homicide.

6. Use commas to separate two or more coordinate adjectives that describe the same noun. Be sure never to add an extra comma between the final adjective and the noun itself or to use commas with non-coordinate adjectives.

Coordinate adjectives are adjectives with equal ("co"-ordinate) status in describing the noun; neither adjective is subordinate to the other. You can decide if two adjectives in a row are coordinate by asking the following questions:

Does the sentence make sense if the adjectives are written in reverse order?
Does the sentence make sense if the adjectives are written with and between them?
If you answer yes to these questions, then the adjectives are coordinate and should be separated by a comma. Here are some examples of coordinate and non-coordinate adjectives:

He was a difficult, stubborn child. (coordinate)
They lived in a white frame house. (non-coordinate)
She often wore a gray wool shawl. (non-coordinate)
Your cousin has an easy, happy smile. (coordinate)
The 1) relentless, 2) powerful 3) summer sun beat down on them. (1-2 are coordinate; 2-3 are non-coordinate.)
The 1) relentless, 2) powerful, 3) oppressive sun beat down on them. (Both 1-2 and 2-3 are coordinate.)

Ok, so the first rule is "Use commas to separate three or more words, phrases, or clauses written in a series."

There are only two words here, Apple and Dell, so they don't get to be separated by a comma.

The second rule is "Use commas to separate two or more coordinate adjectives that describe the same noun."

This rule doesn't apply either because Apple and Dell are not adjectives, they're nouns. Nouns can however be used as adjectives, but I've never seen them used in a list like that before. An example of an adjectival use of a noun would be "Georgia Peach" or "Mountain Bike". I couldn't find any source that said that "Georgia, Florida Peach" would be grammatically incorrect, but *I* tend to think it is simply cause it sounds wrong. Just like "Apple, Dell Notebook" sounds wrong.

I've wasted enough time on this pointless argument. Technically speaking, I suppose you could be correct. But whether or not you really are correct, I think, is debatable. We need an English professor.

EDIT: The source on that is http://owl.english.purdue.edu/handou...r/g_comma.html

[sunilraman]

Originally Posted by DeaPeaJay

We need an English professor.

F*CK the English professor. What use are they? For example, how can American English sanction "I wrote him the other day"? For frack's sake it should be "I wrote to him the other day". And stuff I said before like "New reports on Foxconn, Inc. will be coming out Tuesday" should be "New reports on Foxconn, Inc. will be coming out on Tuesday". And sentences should normally NOT start with And or Because.

One could argue using the comma for two thingys are just a natural evolution or devolution (de-evolution? devolution?) of American English.

"Coming up next, Jessica Simpson, Shakira caught up in a scandalous lesbian affair"

[gregmightdothat]

Originally Posted by sunilraman

This is more an American-English style, where sentences are shrunk, eg. "Apple will be releasing its profit reports Tuesday", which would never fly in [the] UK or Australia, where it would have to be written as "Apple will be releasing its profit reports on Tuesday"

I would say, "Apple to release profit reports Tuesday."

[wnurse]

Originally Posted by sunilraman

F*CK the English professor. What use are they? For example, how can American English sanction "I wrote him the other day"? For frack's sake it should be "I wrote to him the other day". And stuff I said before like "New reports on Foxconn, Inc. will be coming out Tuesday" should be "New reports on Foxconn, Inc. will be coming out on Tuesday". And sentences should normally NOT start with And or Because.

One could argue using the comma for two thingys are just a natural evolution or devolution (de-evolution? devolution?) of American English.

"Coming up next, Jessica Simpson, Shakira caught up in a scandalous lesbian affair"

This is funny!!. I would have to agree with you that English has been bastardized. It all started with "I'll". Long along, people used to write "I will" then they shortened it to "I'll" and now, the entire language has gone down the drain. I'd (i would) like to find the bastard who started the process using I'll instead of I will.

[sunilraman]

Originally Posted by gregmightdothat

I would say, "Apple to release profit reports Tuesday."

This is really quite alright in American English, my ranting aside. In the UK and Australia it will be "Apple to release profit reports on Tuesday" for stuff like web headlines, while "Apple Computer will release its profit reports on Tuesday..." would be more appropriate for TV news.