Qantas forbids users of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 from opening & charging phone aboard flights

Owners of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 have been ordered by Australian carriers Qantas and Jetstar against opening or charging their units while aboard the plane. The directive was issued following two cases of the flagship exploding in Australia.

One incident happened in a Perth hotel room where the burnt Samsung Galaxy Note 7 caused damage worth $1,800 after the fire charred the bed sheet and carpet of the hotel, reports The Australian. Samsung agreed to shoulder the hotel bill of the phone owner.

So far, there has been 35 incidents of burnt Samsung phones globally because of faulty batteries. The incidents led Samsung Electronics Australia to voluntarily recall 51,060 Galaxy Note 7 smartphones in Australia in response to global concerns over the safety of the model. Besides Australia, Samsung is recalling and replacing more than 2.5 million Note 7 phones which could cost the South Korean phone giant more than US$1 billion (A$1.3 billion).

A Qantas spokesman explains, “Following Samsung Australia's recall of the Samsung Galaxy Note7 Personal Electronic Device (PED), we are requesting that passengers who own them do not switch on or charge them inflight,” quotes Daily Mail. Dean Cabena, a Qantas passenger traveling from Perth to Sydney, tweeted that the Australian carrier announced on flight that charging of Samsung Note 7 on the aircraft would not be allowed. The policy applies to aircraft of Jetstar, the budget carrier of Qantas.

Samsung promised all buyers of the Galaxy Note 7 would be entitled to a new Galaxy Note 7 and a courtesy device until the arrival of the replacement unit, or a full refund. The company expects delivery of the replacement units within three or four weeks. The courtesy devices would be available beginning Friday, Sept 9.

VIDEO: Galaxy Note 7 Exploding Batteries Reported