THAI, other airlines ban Samsung’s Note 7 phone

Thailand’s national carrier has asked for cooperation from passengers who use this particular phone model – asking that they don’t open or charge the device while boarding, THAI’s Aviation Safety, Security and Standards Department director Prathana Pattanasiri said yesterday.

Passengers were also required to not put the phone in their checked-in baggage, he said.

Prathana advised passengers to alert attendants immediately if their electronic devices were broken, unusually hot, or yielding smoke, or missing during flight.

He said the regulations were given in accordance with the firm’s safety measures, plus advice from the European Aviation Safety Agency (EASA). 

Airports of Thailand Plc (AOT), which operates the country’s major airports, yesterday urged airline passengers not to check in baggage with a Galaxy Note 7 phone inside.

The recommendation was for the safety of passengers and aircraft, AOT President Nitinai Sirismatthakann said. The move came after mounting global concern and warnings from the US Federal Aviation Administration and the EASA.

AOT operates Suvarnabhumi, Don Mueang, Phuket, Chiang Mai, Chiang Rai’s Mae Fah Luang, and Songkhla’s Hat Yai airports.

Singapore Airlines said yesterday that it has also banned in-flight use of Galaxy Note 7 phones. “The powering up and charging of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 mobile phones is prohibited on all our flights,” SIA said in a statement.

Aviation authorities and airlines from North America to Europe and Asia have issued bans or guidance on the phones. Companies ranging from Singapore Airlines and Qantas Airways to Air France KLM have instituted similar bans on the device.

Three Australian airlines have banned passengers from using or charging Galaxy Note 7 smartphones during flights due to concerns over the phone’s fire-prone batteries. The Abu Dhabi-based Etihad Airways, a flag carrier of the United Arab Emirates, has imposed the same ban.

The US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said last week that travellers should not use or charge the phones while in the air, or stow them in checked luggage.

That prompted the world’s three largest airlines by passenger traffic – American, Delta and United – to start telling passengers at the gate and on board aircraft to keep the phones switched off until they get off the plane.

They are the latest in ongoing efforts in the airline industry to manage the use of lithium-ion batteries, which are known to combust and are used in many devices, from phones and laptops to toys.

American and Japanese aviation authorities have urged passengers not to turn on or charge the large-screen phones while on their planes.

The US government’s Consumer Product Safety Commission yesterday urged all consumers to stop using Galaxy Note 7 phones. The agency said it was working on an official recall of the devices and that users should turn them off in the meantime.

In Seoul, Samsung urged South Korean consumers yesterday to stop using its Galaxy Note 7 smartphone, following a similar warning by the US consumer agency and several airlines who fear battery explosions.

The South Korean electronics giant suspended sales of its latest flagship smartphone last week and announced a recall of 2.5 million units already sold, after faulty batteries caused some handsets to explode during charging. “We advise South Korean consumers using the Galaxy Note 7 to stop using the device and to visit nearest service centres to take necessary steps,” Samsung said on its website.

It advised consumers to use replacement phones which would be temporarily loaned by the firm until a new Galaxy Note 7 equipped with fault-free batteries is provided.

Since the global launch of the oversized “phablet” smartphone in August, several users have posted images on social media showing the charred device, saying it suddenly caught fire.

Samsung last week admitted the problem was caused by a faulty battery cell and announced the recall – the first large-scale recall of one of Samsung’s top of the range phones.

The battery explosion, which dealt a major blow to Samsung’s reputation, also forced it to postpone the device’s planned launch in Europe in September.

Mobile business accounts for a major share of profits at Samsung, which is the world’s largest smartphone maker.