On Sept. 2, Samsung announced it was recalling all 2.5 million Note phones, including inventories secured by telecom carriers, globally, citing faulty batteries as the cause of the accidents. Now it seems that airlines are taking the matter into their own hands and are warning passengers about the dangers of charging their phones inside aicraft.
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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.
For customers who have the Galaxy Note 7 device, Samsung in Qatar will voluntarily exchange their current device to a new Galaxy Note 7 over the coming weeks until December 31 at Samsung brand shops in Al Nasr or Al Watan in Doha.
Passengers weren’t banned from taking the phones onboard, considering that incidents only occurred when the handsets were charging.
Qantas’ domestic competitor Virgin Australia issued a similar statement, adding that it was making on-board announcements ahead of departures. Samsung agreed to cover the damages.
The recall of the Galaxy Note 7, which has received overwhelmingly positive reviews, comes at an awkward time for Samsung, coinciding with Wednesday’s high-profile iPhone 7 launch by its arch-rival Apple.
Samsung’s recall – the first for one of the South Korean electronics giant’s top of the range phones – came a week before arch-rival Apple unveiled its iPhone 7 on Wednesday.
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The statement also directs Note 7 owners to their exchange program associated with the recall.
