In AKL today there was an announcement every 15 minutes regarding anyone with a Note 7 that it was "not welcome" on the aircraft.

I was flying AKL to WLG and received a text, an email & notification on NZ app that the Note 7 was banned from 05:00 NZDT 16 October 2016..

On my flight last week, the announced Samsung Galaxy Note S7 must be switched off... No such product

You and I might think that a turned off Note 7 is fine, but we aren't the experts - the FAA disagree and I'm not going to second guess them about safety classifications!

https://www.transportation.gov/brief...ones-airplanes

The kids these days are very apt with identifying phones

Some people cannot abide having to follow simple instructions it seems. However they are the first to complain when I/we don't follow the rules that they think should be followed. C'est la vie.

This solves the previous poster's problem though:

Also I'm not suggesting one should generally evade such a ban, but in the specific case that you're travelling and need to return the device at DDF, a place only accessible by air unless you get to DXB by ship and then fly out, that in such a specific case I think it would be fine, on a balance of probabilities. If one were at home and had to return it at DDF I'd say figure out another plan, but being away the only option left is to basically discard the device and lose hundreds of $$$.

Great link! Interesting how they establish a complete ban, but then make it clear that hiding it in checked luggage is the worst scenario and should certainly not be attempted. I also find the recommendation, that upon discovery the device should be kept on the persons so that should something happen it is discovered immediately, very interesting.

I guess based on those statements in the link you can judge what poses the greatest risk to the airplane. I wonder what Samsung's policy is if you're traveling overseas and call to say you can't bring the device home to return it...? I would hope that they would advise how to dispose of the device and process the refund anyways. That would certainly keep me from trying to sneak the device on board!

Power can never be totally cut off but it should be safe to carry as long as you completely discharge the battery. Of course ideally Samsung should just process the refund in the place you're currently in.

The most dangerous situation is lithium batteries catching fire in the hold, which is the suspected cause for the crash of OZ991 in 2011 and contributed to the crash of UPS6 in 2010.

If the batteries get crushed or otherwise damaged there is potentially an internal short circuit (the batteries don't need to be connected and power flowing), which causes fire and thermal runaway - if that happens in the cargo hold then it becomes that much more difficult to extinguish.

Well, that's the issue - if it was fine on the balance of probabilities, then would the FAA go to such a step to ban them on board, not just in cabin?

I'm not sure pax are qualified to make those judgements and to disregard policy (and law in the US) just because you can get away with it and you think it won't cause any problems, doesn't make it acceptable, imho. You're not just saying you know better than the experts, but are also willing to put everyone else on the plane at risk because of your own judgement.

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.

Do Samsung devices not have removable batteries these days? If so discard the battery and return the device without it. Problem solved.

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.

Perhaps I have a more relaxed attitude to life . It's a phone, not a bomb after all. Either way I'd be interested to hear back from the OP how it is resolved.

FYI the latest range Samsun smart phones (Galaxy S7, S7 Edge and Note 7) all have integrated batteries that can’t be removed by the user as per previous models. The case is sealed to enable the ‘water proof’ feature of these devices.

No doubt it will be possible to force open the phone and remove the battery, but not sure if the shop will accept a broken/incomplete Note 7 back. Also in light of EK's latest advisory notice on their website regarding Note 7, I wonder if they would allow a dismantled device on the plane.