FAA notifies travelers of ban on recalled MacBook Pro batteries
August 14th 2019
Earlier this summer Apple announced a new round of battery recalls for MacBook Pro laptops. The recall covers some MacBook Pro computers sold between 2015 and 2017.
Tom's Hardware:
...the FAA has reminded everyone that those recalled units are banned from flights, just like it did with the good old Samsung Galaxy Note 7 fireball: "The FAA reminds passengers that recalled batteries do not fly. Avoid carrying recalled batteries when flying until repaired/replaced per manufacturer instructions."
The FAA linked to the news of the Apple recall in that tweet. According to Bloomberg, four airlines have already announced they are going to start screening these MacBooks at the gate and before take off.
This could be challenging for security checks since there's no easy way to physically examine the laptop models. You basically need to look the machine info within the Finder, or better yet, plug in the serial number which is in practically microscopic print on the case. Then there's the hassle of providing verification of repairs on machines that can fly.
Hopefully, people traveling with affected MacBooks get them repaired or leave them at home. It seems FAA here is hoping to raise awareness of the issue.