MacBook Pro Flight Ban? Has anyone encountered this possible battery flammability issue flying with certain 15” MacBook Pro laptops as outlined in these links:...

tonyjag Loc: Bolton, Ma.

Has anyone encountered this possible battery flammability issue flying with certain 15” MacBook Pro laptops as outlined in these links:

https://www.tomsguide.com/news/macbook-pro-flight-ban-spreads-with-one-airline-barring-all-macbooks
https://www.macrumors.com/2019/08/29/macbook-pro-some-airline-restrictions/
https://www.techradar.com/news/macbook-pro-flight-ban-everything-you-need-to-know

Please share your experiences so those of us planning airline travel can be prepared. Thanks.

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

Carefully check which version of the laptop and the iOS you have. Get help from Apple Customer Service or Tech Support if necessary. Then contact your airline (and travel agent if you used one). Don’t rely blindly on some quote from a blog or news media - they increase readership by publishing ‘warnings’ that may well not apply to you. /Ralph

Country Boy Loc: Beckley, WV

Just me, but if the airlines won't let you on a plane with one, do you really want it in your home?

tonyjag Loc: Bolton, Ma.

Country Boy wrote:

Just me, but if the airlines won't let you on a plane with one, do you really want it in your home?

Absolutely not. If you have one of the problem 15" MacBook Pros, you need to get it fixed, which Apple will do free. The problem is, some airlines are not recognizing that you fixed it and others are not allowing any MacBook Pros, even ones never affected.

tonyjag Loc: Bolton, Ma.

rjaywallace wrote:

Carefully check which version of the laptop and the iOS you have. Get help from Apple Customer Service or Tech Support if necessary. Then contact your airline (and travel agent if you used one). Don’t rely blindly on some quote from a blog or news media - they increase readership by publishing ‘warnings’ that may well not apply to you. /Ralph

Thanks. I have already done that and my 15" mid 2014 MacBook Pro is not one of the problem ones and BTW has a new battery. However, some airlines are being very conservative and restricting use
e.g: https://www.cnet.com/news/some-airlines-ban-all-macbook-pros-from-checked-luggage/?ftag=CAD4dc88c8&bhid=100000000000000000000000000276778

or even not allowing any MacBook Pros.

jerryc41 Loc: Catskill Mts of NY

Country Boy wrote:

Just me, but if the airlines won't let you on a plane with one, do you really want it in your home?

rjaywallace Loc: Wisconsin

tonyjag wrote:

Thanks. I have already done that and my 15" mid 2014 MacBook Pro is not one of the problem ones and BTW has a new battery. However, some airlines are being very conservative and restricting use
e.g: https://www.cnet.com/news/some-airlines-ban-all-macbook-pros-from-checked-luggage/?ftag=CAD4dc88c8&bhid=100000000000000000000000000276778 or even not allowing any MacBook Pros.

Don’t base your decision on the vague report of “some airlines” and the “everything’s a crisis” media. Get the facts directly from your airline.

Mac Loc: Pittsburgh, Philadelphia now Hernando Co. Fl.

tonyjag wrote:

Has anyone encountered this possible battery flamm... (show quote)

Old news.

JD750 Loc: SoCal

There was a thread about this back in August
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-605736-1.html

I was in Denver at the time it popped up. First I went to the Apple site and verified my computer was not affected. Next I called Delta they said the FAA was trying to implement a flight ban on MacBookPros, but it was not in place, and that Delta did not have any restrictions in place for MacBook Pros (at that time).

I went through security, at Denver on Aug 17, 2019, with my 2013 Mac Book Pro, nobody asked anything about it. I thought they might check the serial number but they did not. No way they could tell by simply looking at it if it was a banned version or not.

rgrenaderphoto Loc: Hollywood, CA

tonyjag wrote:

Has anyone encountered this possible battery flamm... (show quote)

Does it have a LiOn battery? FAA regs prohibit any LiOn batteries being carried as checked luggage. That's how I've prevented Gate Agents from making me check my camera carryon because I have LiOn batteries that are not in a device, but loose in a case.

tonyjag Loc: Bolton, Ma.

JD750 wrote:

There was a thread about this back in August
https://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-605736-1.html
....

So sorry. I always search before posting...maybe i misspelled MacBook Pro. That thread ended up with lots of controversy, but there was a great suggestion from artbob:
"For Macbook Pro users. IF there is a problem, you would be totally prepared by doing this: Click the Apple icon in the upper left corner of your screen, and tap “About This Mac.” If you see “MacBook Pro (Retina, 15 inch, Mid 2015)”, copy the serial number, and paste it into the box under the “Eligibility” section at https://support.apple.com/15-inch-macbook-pro-battery-recall. Print or screen copy the result. You now have the documentation you need should TSA question you
Robert Stanley
robertstanleyart.com"

If you do have a MBP that is on the list, perhaps a receipt from Apple showing that the battery has been replaced would get you through TSA, if it even comes up.

Thanks to all who replied for the reports on your experience. No one has mentioned their MBP being denied boarding by TSA.

redlegfrog

tonyjag wrote:

Absolutely not. If you have one of the problem 15" MacBook Pros, you need to get it fixed, which Apple will do free. The problem is, some airlines are not recognizing that you fixed it and others are not allowing any MacBook Pros, even ones never affected.

Please note, Apple is selective on who gets a free battery. I just paid $200.00 for a battery replacement from the Apple store. I ask if it was a new improved battery and they said no, the same one they just pulled out. I ask why I had to pay while others didn't and all I could get out of them was a mealy mouth answer.

AirWalter Loc: Tipp City, Ohio

redlegfrog wrote:

Please note, Apple is selective on who gets a free battery. I just paid $200.00 for a battery replacement from the Apple store. I ask if it was a new improved battery and they said no, the same one they just pulled out. I ask why I had to pay while others didn't and all I could get out of them was a mealy mouth answer.

He probably put your $200 in his pocket!

JD750 Loc: SoCal

redlegfrog wrote:

Please note, Apple is selective on who gets a free battery. I just paid $200.00 for a battery replacement from the Apple store. I ask if it was a new improved battery and they said no, the same one they just pulled out. I ask why I had to pay while others didn't and all I could get out of them was a mealy mouth answer.

Did you enter the serial number on the Apple site to verify your computer was one of the models covered by the recall? If not then your computer was not in danger of catching fire.

Batteries wear out. How fast is variable and the technology is changing so it’s hard to predict when they will fail. The laptop batteries use the flat wide format, sorry I can’t remember the name. The battery is flat and thin. That format was/is particularly problematic.

If you don’t have the extended warranty then battery replacement is an out of pocket cost. Sometimes sooner than expected. It’s about $150 for the 3 year warranty, which includes free support calls. I have always just considered it a cost and bought it. Mostly I have paid for the support the computers have not had many problems. On my (current) Retina MPB I had to replace the screen, but it was within the 1st year. But on my prior MPB I got 2 battery replacements in 3 years. The invoices each said $200. Covered by the warranty, my cost was $0.0.

Food for thought?

David Martin Loc: Cary, NC

Get your battery replaced as needed. Take your MacBookPro in your carry-on luggage (who puts their computer in checked luggage??) and keep it turned off. Problem solved.