There have already been two reported incidents in the country where the Galaxy Note 7 caught on fire while the users were charging the device.
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Samsung has a recall program in place where you can send your Galaxy Note 7 in for a full replacement. Samsung has shown transparency by suspending the Note 7 sales and recalling all the 2.5 million Note 7 units sold so far. Samsung agreed to replace the handset and pay the full hotel bill, but the real damage is to the company’s reputation and that of the Galaxy Note 7.
“Following Samsung Australia’s recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note 7 personal electronic device we are requesting that passengers who own them do not switch on or charge them in flight”, a Qantas spokesman said in an emailed statement to Reuters. It also applies to Jetstar, the low-priced subsidiary of Qantas. Not only was the product recalled soon after its release due to battery issues, horror stories about the phones exploding keep grabbing attention. It is unknown whether flight attendants for these airlines are being trained to look out for this specific device, or whether they’ll be able to spot the differences between similar models like the Galaxy Note 5 or the Galaxy S7 Edge.
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“The FAA and the Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration are working on guidance related to this issue”, an FAA spokesperson told Gizmodo. This is in response to the recent announcement regarding isolated battery cell issue of the Galaxy Note 7 device. The Korean company has stopped sourcing Note 7 batteries from its subsidiary Samsung SDI.
