What's that sound?


That's the sound of a lot of business travelers going to other airlines.

Stupid orverreaction. Has there even been a case of these batteries overheating on an airplane?

Hurry up and do something. Save us from the this grave risk to our lives!

Sony needs to pay for ALL the work that will be lost.

This is pretty weird stuff, I am scared to use my laptop now.

when we had a news story this week of a Fed Ex truck 'mysteriously' catching fire as it was rolling down the interstate.

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Guest wrote:
when we had a news story this week of a Fed Ex truck 'mysteriously' catching fire as it was rolling down the interstate.

I am not sure if the batteries use the same technology or not, but a few weeks ago here in San Diego an UPS (uninterrupted power supply) being delivered exploded. Read about it http://www.signonsandiego.com/news/metro/20060726-1354-bn26explode3.html

i really hope the media will, at some point, make sony the headline of these exploding battery stories. i kinda feel bad for apple and dell. oh well, hopefully this will blow over soon.

I saw this on TV a few times. Just put a square piece of tape over the Apple logo. Nobody will know it's a Mac.

I don't suppose the "In Seat Power Supply" seats maybe cost just a tiny little bit more than the rest..? Maybe just a teeny tiny bit maybe?

Doesn't Sony make Apple's batteries? Who makes the ones in a Sony laptop?

yeah what's up with Sony?

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Anonymous wrote:
I don't suppose the "In Seat Power Supply" seats maybe cost just a tiny little bit more than the rest..? Maybe just a teeny tiny bit maybe?

Nope.

As I read this I start think, what if the battery shorted out in the cargo area? Hum, who can get to it? Will it cause a fire that will take the plane down?

If the airlines are so worried about this I have a much better way to take care of the problem.

They should carry a fireproof case one could put the notebook into if it started to smoke. These notebooks just don't burst into flames, they smoke for a while first. There would be plenty of time to either remove the battery and put in into the fireproof case or put the entire notebook into it. That's a lot better than leaving in the cargo area and have it short out there.

IMHO

Interesting that: my iBook and I are booked LHR-EWR in ten days time.

What's more interesting, for me, is that last Friday I emailed the Apple Support site with my iBook and battery numbers. The replacement battery arrived this Monday morning. I make that barely one working day.[/b]

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Intruder wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:
I don't suppose the "In Seat Power Supply" seats maybe cost just a tiny little bit more than the rest..? Maybe just a teeny tiny bit maybe?

Nope.

Oh, yes, they do. Most of those seats are in "business class." There aren't many in the "tourist class" seating on most airlines.

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gslusher wrote:

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Intruder wrote:

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Anonymous wrote:
I don't suppose the "In Seat Power Supply" seats maybe cost just a tiny little bit more than the rest..? Maybe just a teeny tiny bit maybe?

Nope.

Oh, yes, they do. Most of those seats are in "business class." There aren't many in the "tourist class" seating on most airlines.

On American Airlines, they are in every other row in coach on the MD-80 (which is their workhorse equipment). They do not charge extra for them in either class.

For the airlines that do have them in coach (for some airlines, it depends on the equipment they fly), there is no extra charge. You just have to know what rows to pick.

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Intruder wrote:


On American Airlines, they are in every other row in coach on the MD-80 (which is their workhorse equipment). They do not charge extra for them in either class.

For the airlines that do have them in coach (for some airlines, it depends on the equipment they fly), there is no extra charge. You just have to know what rows to pick.

It's good to know that. I've not been on an AA MD-80 in a long, long time. I'm more often on United. The last time I was on one, the only seats with laptop power outlets were in business and first class, not in economy, so I would have to pay more. AA doesn't deign to stop in my city (Eugene, OR)--I'd have to drive 2+ hours to Portland. Making a connection to AA will usually cost more than staying on United or Delta.

I just did a comparison on United's site for a round-trip flight from Eugene to Dulles. The actual prices depend upon the dates and times, of course, but, here's what I found:

Economy $529.80

Business $1794.20

According to the site, laptop power is available only in First, Business, and Economy Plus. I don't know what the Economy Plus would cost, but it's more than Economy. So, it does cost more to get laptop power capability--not specifically for it, but because it's available only for more expensive seats. I have to pay for my own travel and my pension as a retired Air Force officer isn't that high (about the national median family income), so I go the cheapest way I can. Business class is a luxury I cannot afford. (FWIW, when I was in the Air Force, we had to travel at the lowest possible fare. Even generals traveled in coach.)

An interesting point: according to the United site, one doesn't need a "power adaptor" for the seat power. I'm not precisely sure what that means. I have an auto/air adaptor for my 12-in PowerBook G4 that uses the special outlet. However, they may mean that normal AC is available at the seats. I've not had the opportunity to find out for sure.

Again, depending on the equipment. Many Airbuses allow for standard AC plugs.

But, to guest's original question, you do not pay more for the power plug. More for the class of service, yes (on some airlines where only specific classes of service have the power ports), but seat 3A in business class doesn't cost more than seat 4C in business class just because it has seat power (just an example, folks).