Three Thai airlines have separately announced the ban of the use of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 smartphones on board their airlines and in storing the phones in their check-in luggage.
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Samsung’s alert urging customers to bring their Note 7 phones in for a replacement as soon as possible followed warnings from aviation authorities and airlines that the devices shouldn’t be used aboard planes.
Shares have plunged 11 per cent since Friday, the biggest two-day decline since 2008, after United States regulators joined the company in cautioning users to power down their Note 7s and refrain from charging them.
A new Note 7 device with a new battery would be provided to South Korean consumers beginning September 19.
Samsung said 10 days ago that it was halting sales of the Note 7 and recalling about 2.5 million of the devices around the globe.
The firm refused to identify the supplier of the faulty battery but said sales in China, where it uses a different supplier, would be unaffected. The US Consumer Product Safety Commission Friday urged Note 7 owners to stop using the device. The recall by the South Korean company, came after USA authorities have asked users to switch off Galaxy Note 7 or not to use or charge it during flights. The agency said it was working with Samsung to launch an official recall as soon as possible.
Aviation authorities and airlines across the world have also issued bans or guidelines prohibiting passengers from turning on or charging the phone inside airplanes in response.
The Note 7 isn’t the only gadget to catch fire thanks to lithium-battery problems, which have afflicted everything from laptops to Tesla cars to Boeing’s 787 jetliner.
No cases have been reported in New Zealand, but all phone providers are cooperating with Samsung’s recall.
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For Note 7 holders who would prefer to wait for a new model, they will receive a Samsung J Series loaner phone until the new model is released. Nearly all CPSC recalls are done voluntarily in conjunction with a company and the scope of any action on the Note 7 may be identical to what Samsung has already suggested to consumers.
