The day that it was announced that Samsung was discontinuing the Galaxy Note 7, due to the battery explosions, I joked regarding about it being illegal to take onto an airplane. Of course, that actually did happen. What we didn’t know about is that Federal Aviation Administration has now made it a federal crime to carry the Galaxy Note 7 onto an airplane. For obvious reasons, they mean commercial airplanes, but none the less don’t get that Note 7 in your pocket the next time you board an airplane. The Verge reported on the recent update, which you can read here.
This document provides Emergency Restriction/Prohibition Order No. FAA-2016- 9288, issued October 14, 2016 and effective at 12 pm (noon) Eastern Daylight Time (EDT), October 15, 2016 to Samsung Galaxy Note 7 Users and air carriers. The Emergency Order prohibits persons from offering for air transportation or transporting via air any Samsung Galaxy Note 7 device on their person, in carry-on baggage, in checked baggage, or as cargo; requires individuals who inadvertently bring a Samsung Galaxy Note 7 device onto an aircraft immediately power off the device, not use or charge the device while aboard the aircraft, protect the device from accidental activation
TLDR; If you bring a Galaxy Note 7 onto an airplane, you could be “subject to civil penalties of up to $179,933 for each violation for each day they are found to be in violation (49 U.S.C. 5123),” and could be prosecuted, which could “result in fines under title 18, imprisonment of up to ten years, or both (49 U.S.C. 5124).” Ouch, pretty harsh but as you see, the Federal Aviation Administration isn’t playing around with this. This can actually take down an airplane, which deadly to even think about. So it’s good to see this being put into place.
I really don’t know how Samsung is going to bounce back from this, any lesser company might have been put out of business. So far the estimates that this is going to set back the company is around 17 billion dollars, last time I checked.
Source: The Verge