Originally Posted by
DillMan
I would imagine the time involved in replacing "a battery" on an MD-80 is probably much greater than the time to change airplanes, particularly since we are talking about an expendable part. It isn't as if they could have just popped the hood, swapped the battery, tightened the leads and said "have a great day and you need a new filter!"
The emergency lighting batteries are located in the inaccessible "secret" compartment, far below the main deck where they also store the good food, the real blankets (not those red felt "bacteria wraps"), the hot fudge sundae carts and the comfortable pillows.
You can't just swap a dead battery easily. They're more like an iPod that way. In fact, I think Apple builds the MD-80s.