Originally Posted by
skywardhunter
US law is irrelevant for a flight from Southern Africa to the Middle East on a UAE aircraft. Also I suspect it's more a "cover our ***" move. I'm not saying it doesn't make sense broadly speaking but I think in this specific case it would not be unreasonable.
Of course, it's definitely a cover move - but where the US regulators go, all major airlines swiftly follow suit. EY and EK have a total ban.
I don't think it's reasonable to advise someone to do something (which you did in post 2) which is clearly against the wishes of the carrier (EK) just because you think it's all right?
In the same way, I'm sure I could smuggle liquids above 100ml on board planes and have items not in sealed transit bags going through some airports, against the rules, but I would never recommend anyone do so on a public forum!
Re: removable batteries - the issue is that Samsung don't know why it keeps happening and so there is a danger it's a fault with the battery's construction itself. Merely having it on board in carry-on presents a risk because if there's damage (e.g. bumped about in turbulence) and the battery has an internal short circuit, that can cause a fire and thermal runaway.