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Monday, 17th October 2016
In Japan Travel News,
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones banned on Japanese airlines
The Japanese government has banned passengers from bringing a specific model of smartphone aboard planes.
Samsung Galaxy Note 7 phones are prohibited from being transported via airlines registered to the country due to a recognised fire hazard associated with the device.
The Japan Airlines website states that none of the handsets will be admitted onto planes in carry-on luggage or in the hold, even if the battery has been removed.
This rule is being enforced on domestic and international flights operated by the carrier, as it aims to preserve its good safety record.
Japan’s action comes in the wake of the US bringing in a similar ban on the Galaxy Note 7, which has had a series of high-profile cases of the batteries catching fire.
Samsung has stopped producing this particular model of the device and the Galaxy Note 7 was never sold in Japan.
It is therefore thought that the ban will not affect a large number of people using Japanese carriers, but there is the potential for visitors to the country to be in possession of the smartphone.
Since the instructions were issued by the transport ministry, Japanese airlines have been notifying customers via their websites and at check-in points in the airports they fly from.
Although Samsung originally sent out replacement handsets for customers who had bought the model, it was later found that these were no safer than the ones they were standing in for.
Now, the product has been officially recalled and fire-proof boxes have been issued for anyone needing to return the device to the manufacturer.
While the US and Japan have been quick to issue bans of the Galaxy Note 7 on flights, many airlines are following suit and it is likely to become standard across the world before long.
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