FAA: Don’t Check Those Samsung Phones
Impacting Travel Monica Poling September 09, 2016

Photo via Flickr
If you’re planning on sucking up those incremental fees and checking baggage on your next flight, here’s a twist. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is asking you to avoid packing your brand new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphone in your checked baggage.
And, oh yes, don’t plan on honing your Candy Crush skills while on board, either, because the FAA is also asking you to keep your phone off for the duration of your flight.
Why? Because Samsung has issued a massive recall of more than two million of its new Samsung Galaxy Note 7 devices due to concerns that the rechargeable lithium batteries have been catching fire and even exploding when being charged. Which means the FAA is advising passengers to use caution and good sense.
According to a press release, the agency has stated, “In light of recent incidents and concerns raised by Samsung about its Galaxy Note 7 devices, the Federal Aviation Administration strongly advises passengers not to turn on or charge these devices on board aircraft and not to stow them in any checked baggage.”
The warning comes after three airlines in Australia—Qantas, Jetstar and Virgin Australia—announced a ban on using or charging the Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in-flight. Passengers are still being allowed to transport their smartphones, as long as the power button remains in the off position.
Still, one has to wonder if there’s any bite to this advisory at all.
Apparently, United Airlines has said that it will begin having its flight attendants add a warning about the Samsung devices to its on-board safety demonstration. Insert appropriate joke about “flight attendant sign language for don’t use your Samsung” here.
But obviously, true enforcement of this regulation will fall to already harried flight attendants. And absent asking to see the logo on every single passenger’s device to see if it’s a Samsung or not and a sales receipt to confirm the make and model of the device, its unclear on just how much attendants can do to enforce the regulation anyway.
Which means passengers are once again on the honour system. And time after time after time, we’ve seen how well that’s worked out.
In the meantime, if a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 is still on your holiday wish list, maybe don’t trade in your older device. You might find you still need it after all.
Donald Wood contributed to this article.
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