Flying? Have a Galaxy Note 7? Don’t do it – or face arrest, fines and more.
“Airline passengers who try to carry Samsung Electronics Co. Note 7 smartphones on flights will have them confiscated and may face fines under an emergency U.S. order that significantly expands restrictions on the devices linked to almost 100 incidents of overheating and fires,” Mary Schlangenstein and Alan Levin report for Bloomberg. “The devices won’t be allowed aboard passenger or cargo aircraft even if they’ve been shut off, the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration and the Federal Aviation Administration announced Friday. Flight restrictions will be extended to each of the 1.9 million Note 7s sold in the U.S. starting at noon New York time on Saturday.”
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“‘We recognize that banning these phones from airlines will inconvenience some passengers, but the safety of all those aboard an aircraft must take priority,’” U.S. Transportation Secretary Anthony Foxx said in a statement. ‘We are taking this additional step because even one fire incident in flight poses a high risk of severe personal injury and puts many lives at risk,’” Schlangenstein and Alan Levin report. “The government urged passengers not to side-step the order. “Passengers who attempt to evade the ban by packing their phone in checked luggage are increasing the risk of a catastrophic incident,” the DOT said in a release. ‘Anyone violating the ban may be subject to criminal prosecution in addition to fines.’”
“The government now considers the Note 7s “forbidden hazardous material” under U.S. law. Anyone observed with one of the phones will be prohibited from boarding an aircraft, the release said,” Schlangenstein and Alan Levin reports. “Consumer agency Chairman Elliot Kaye on Friday also renewed calls to consumers to take advantage of the recall. ‘The fire hazard with the original Note 7 and with the replacement Note 7 is simply too great for anyone to risk it and not respond to this official recall,’ Kaye said in the Transportation Department statement. ‘I would like to remind consumers once again to take advantage of the remedies offered, including a full refund. It’s the right thing to do and the safest thing to do.’”
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