Travel Technology - Is it possible that unstable in-seat power on plane killed my Macbook power adapter?

It was on a ______ Airlines 777 and I was in business class. I had been using the Macbook with power adapter plugged into the in-seat power outlet. Somewhere over the pond, I noticed the cabin lights were flickering. Next thing I knew, the Macbook stopped charging itself. When I got home, I tried on a spare adapter and it worked fine.....

Both adapters are original Apple products bought at Apple stores. When I took the bad one in, they replaced it free of charge for me... but now I no longer plug in my Mackbook(or iPad) when I'm flying, for fear that it may fry more than just the power adapter.

Did my power adapter really get fried because the plane's in-seat power was unstable?

What MacBook were you using? If it's a 17" MacBook Pro, then perhaps it was pulling more power than in-seat power ports are designed to provide, and in this specific case perhaps the current limiter on the in-seat power supply was not working properly.

Just a guess...

A couple of years ago, bad power on a DL 767 (business class) damaged my Lenovo laptop. Same thing - lights flickered, then laptop wasn't charging. Ran on the battery for only 10 minutes before it died. This particular laptop wouldn't boot without a battery, even when plugged in, so I was done for the trip.

Back in the office, the external video and base station ports no longer worked and the battery wouldn't hold a charge. Support guy said the surge probably crisped some motherboard circuits.

You can get a small 120v power inverter (http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/183730/Belkin-AC-Anywhere-140W-Power-Inverter/) and use your AC cord. The inverter will act as a good surge protector.

What MacBook were you using? If it's a 17" MacBook Pro, then perhaps it was pulling more power than in-seat power ports are designed to provide, and in this specific case perhaps the current limiter on the in-seat power supply was not working properly.

Just a guess...

Update:

It was my Macbook Air (13-inch).

United Airlines offered me a $150 voucher for my troubles. I accepted it because it was a very nice gesture. They didn't really have to, because Best Buy replaced the $35 adapter for me free of charge. I bought the Best Buy service plan when I got the MacBook Air.

It could be. There might have been a surge in the current and burned the fuse in the power adapter.

You can get a small 120v power inverter (http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/183730/Belkin-AC-Anywhere-140W-Power-Inverter/) and use your AC cord. The inverter will act as a good surge protector.

This +1

I use these outlets only if I really need to. I was on a ______ (Airlines) 747-400 F seat and the lady behind me, her ipad fried since she was using it plugged in. The lights did not flicker but dimmed and some seat entertainment systems were also affected. I might use the power to charge up my notebook, but I won't power it on, and even then I'm still a bit weary of a possible power problem frying it.

Disconcerting.

I'll look into that power adapter.

Yikes, good heads up for those on UA in the future.

This +1

I use these outlets only if I really need to. I was on a ______ (Airlines) 747-400 F seat and the lady behind me, her ipad fried since she was using it plugged in. The lights did not flicker but dimmed and some seat entertainment systems were also affected. I might use the power to charge up my notebook, but I won't power it on, and even then I'm still a bit weary of a possible power problem frying it.

I think just getting an external (spare) battery is the best idea for traveling. A great way to avoid all those questionable power supplies.

You can get a small 120v power inverter (http://www.officedepot.com/a/products/183730/Belkin-AC-Anywhere-140W-Power-Inverter/) and use your AC cord. The inverter will act as a good surge protector.

That's a bit bulky for travel though, if you're UK based then one of these (http://cpc.farnell.com/jsp/level5/module.jsp?moduleId=cpc/621771.xml) will also do the trick assuming your airline has regular power sockets. They're a lot smaller and I suspect a lot less weight than that Belkin, and thinking about it I've got a Belkin that is one socket but it's bigger than that one.

What is the wattage on the power adapter? There have been reports that if the power adapter is greater than 65w, it will not charge the laptop battery* and may trip the circuit breaker on the plane.


*It should however run the machine with the battery removed but newer mac laptops don't have removable batteries