Airlines Continue to Ban Older Apple MacBook Pro Laptops

Qantas Airways and Virgin Australia Airlines have joined the long list of carriers around the world banning MacBook Pro laptops from checked luggage due to the possibility of the computer's batteries catching fire.

According to Bloomberg.com, Qantas officials revealed that passengers would need to carry the 15-inch version of the Apple MacBook Pro into the cabin with them and turn the computers off for the duration of the flight.

The new Qantas ban went into effect Tuesday.

As for Virgin Australia, the airline announced Monday it would ban all Apple-brand laptops from checked luggage. The decision was made after Apple recalled MacBook Pro computers built between September 2015 and February 2017 due to concerns about batteries overheating and possibly causing a fire.

In addition to Singapore Airlines and Thai Airways banning the computers entirely from their flights, the Federal Aviation Administration in the United States told carriers that impacted laptops should not be taken on their planes as cargo or carry-on baggage.

The European Union Aviation Safety Agency also issued a warning about the Apple battery issues to its airlines on August 1.

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