Two airlines in Australia are putting a ban on Apple’s 15-inch MacBook Pros from being checked in cargo holds. In addition, those carried into the cabin must be shut off for the whole duration of the flight. The restrictions affect all MacBook Pros, even those not subjected to Apple’s recent recall.
Virgin Australia, one of the airlines in question, particularly highlighted Apple laptops on its Dangerous Goods information page. The page lets passengers know the restrictions on certain items when it comes to bringing these onto the aircraft.
The airlines cite a recent recall of the laptops as the reason behind the prohibition.
“Due to a worldwide recall by Apple of a number of Apple MacBook batteries, all Apple MacBooks must be placed in carry-on baggage only. No Apple MacBooks are permitted in checked-in baggage until further notice,” they said in a note addressing the matter.
Qantas Airways followed suit and issued similar restrictions. In a statement to ZDNet, the airlines said:
“Until further notice, all 15-inch Apple MacBook Pros must be carried in cabin baggage and switched off for flight following a recall notice issued by Apple.”
A number of international airlines have also prohibited the devices from being carried on-board the aircraft or in checked-in luggage including Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways.
Back in June, Apple issued a voluntary recall of the 15-inch models of its MacBook Pro devices. The tech device giant warned the public that these devices sold between
September 2015 and February 2017 have battery issues that are prone to overheating.