Like a lot of companies these days, you probablyhave a growing number of Mac® users inyour organization. If those employees go on business trips, you’ll want to informthem of the recent MacBook Pro® flight bansthat are being implemented in several airports around the world, as well asprovide them with tips on how to address the issue. After all, you wouldn’twant them held up while boarding a flight to an important business conferenceor meeting. But before we discuss those tips, perhaps you’d like to know whythese bans are being implemented in the first place.
Understanding the ban and which Mac laptops are affected
When I was doing a lot of consulting, one of the most common things I used to run into with any Mac with a built-in cooling fan was overheating due to an accumulation of dust and pet hair. In offices, it’s quite common to place headless servers (Mac Pro, Mac mini) in cabling closets, and those rooms are usually never on the nightly janitorial. Ive answered this before, been a Mac user my entire life: The sad truth is that 99% of games run better in windows simply because windows has DirectX. I have a Mac, and i still play 70% of my games in macOS, but if you're looking for performance windows is the way to go.
It all started when Apple® announced a recall for certain 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops. These units were found to have batteries susceptible to overheating and posed a fire-safety risk. Naturally, as soon as airline officials got wind of this information, they considered the laptops’ flight hazards and started issuing strict policies against them.
Technically speaking, the only Mac laptopsthat could really pose a threat are the 15-inch MacBook Pros between September2015 and February 2017. Supposedly, allother models can be considered safe. Apple even has a page where you can submitthe serial number of your Mac to find out if it’s affected, and any unit foundto be affected is eligible for a free battery replacement.
In spite of the seemingly elementary taskof checking affected devices, it’s not so easy once you consider how airline groundstaff are already swamped. Besides, it’s hard to physically verify whether adevice has really undergone a battery replacement.
Since doing a thorough check on everysingle Mac laptop prior to boarding could cause considerable delays, some airlineshave simply issued blanket policies where ALL MacBook Pro and MacBook® laptops are banned.
How are airlines implementing this ban?
Fortunately, not all airlines have issued acomplete ban. Risk appetites vary across organizations, so stringency variesfrom one airline to another.
For example, United Airlines is a bitlenient. According to the notice on their site, United doesn’t allow affectedlaptops to be packed in a checked bag, but it does allow them to be hand-carriedas long as they’re switched off and unplugged during the flight.
Qatar Airways and Singapore Airlines aren’tas tolerant. Both don’t allow affected units, whether as a hand-carry orchecked-in baggage.
And then there are those like Qantas andVirgin Australia, who have banned ALL 15-inch MacBook Pro laptops (includingthose that aren’t supposed to be affected) from checked-in luggage, allowing themonly to be hand-carried and switched off.
![Parallels For Mac Overheating Parallels For Mac Overheating](/uploads/1/1/9/0/119029258/441858195.png)
It’s worth noting that some governingagencies like the US Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) have issued theirown policies. The FAA has instructed airlines under its jurisdiction to follow2016 safety instructions for goods with recalled batteries. This means that majorUS airlines like American, Delta and United are supposed to completely ban affectedMac laptops from flights, whether as carry-on or checked-in.
How your Mac users can travel hassle-free during the ban
The worst thing that can happen to youremployees with the ban in effect is having to leave their MacBook or MacbookPro behind. That can be a major hassle, especially since those Mac laptopscould be their main workhorse. Here are some things they can do to avoid that inconvenience.
First, they need to visit the Applewebpage to check if their device is affected. All they’ll need to submit istheir Mac serial number. Next steps depend on what the online tool says. Notethat even if their Mac laptop isn’t a 15-inch MacBook Pro, they should still headto the site and use the tool. We’ll explain why.
If their device is an affected MacBook Pro
If the online tool shows their Mac has thedefective battery, they will be eligible for the Apple battery replacementprogram and should have that device’s battery replaced. According to Apple,battery replacements can take 3-5 days, so they’ll have to factor that intotheir travel schedule. Further instructions regarding the replacement program canbe found on the same webpage.
Once their battery has been replaced, youremployees should gather all pertinent documents related to that service, likethe repair receipt, “AppleCare Service — Product Repair Summary” and any otherproof-of-repair confirmation. Make sure their device’s serial number isincluded for easy verification. They will need those at the airport if they’reasked to submit proof of the replacement.
If their device isn’t an affected 15-inch MacBook Pro
If the online tool shows their Mac is NOT an affected device, they should take a screenshot of the result and print it out. They can then show that to the airline staff during an inspection at the airport if they’re asked for proof.
This is exactly why we recommend using the online tool even if your employees don’t have a 15-inch MacBook Pro. As evidenced by the screenshot below, which was obtained using the serial number of a 13-inch MacBook Pro, the tool can also work for Apple laptops that are NOT a 15-inch MacBook Pro. Figure 1 can mean the difference between being allowed to board a flight or not.
Since policies vary from airline to airline, it would be in your employees’ best interests to check with each airline beforehand to get exact information. The notices posted on official airline websites are sometimes vague or outdated, so a call with an airline representative would be the best course of action.
If this post helps you and your travelingMac users, send them our sincerest bon voyage!
What to doif a Mac laptop is lost while traveling
My Mac Is Overheating
It’s not uncommon for company hardware to be lost or stolen while traveling. In this situation, company data security risks associated with that laptop outweigh the loss of the hardware itself.
If it happens to a Windows PC, you just initiate Wipe and Lock from SCCM. But if it’s a Mac, it’s not possible—unless you have Parallels® Mac Management for Microsoft® SCCM, an extension to Microsoft SCCM that brings Mac management to the Configuration Manager.
Parallels For Mac Overheating Usb
References
TechRadar | https://www.techradar.com/news/macbook-pro-flight-ban-everything-you-need-to-know
Qatar Airways | https://qatarairways.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360036738613-MacBook-Pro-Travel-Advice
Singapore Airlines | https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/media-centre/news-alert/?id=jzbi7bal
United | https://hub.united.com/united-apple-macbook-battery-recall-2639826045.html
ZDNet | https://www.zdnet.com/article/qantas-and-virgin-ban-macbook-pros-from-checked-in-luggage/
Inc | https://www.inc.com/eric-mack/your-apple-macbook-pro-might-be-banned-from-flying-heres-what-to-do-about-it.html
Qatar Airways | https://qatarairways.zendesk.com/hc/en-us/articles/360036738613-MacBook-Pro-Travel-Advice
Singapore Airlines | https://www.singaporeair.com/en_UK/sg/media-centre/news-alert/?id=jzbi7bal
United | https://hub.united.com/united-apple-macbook-battery-recall-2639826045.html
ZDNet | https://www.zdnet.com/article/qantas-and-virgin-ban-macbook-pros-from-checked-in-luggage/
Inc | https://www.inc.com/eric-mack/your-apple-macbook-pro-might-be-banned-from-flying-heres-what-to-do-about-it.html
There is a problem with using Parallels Toolbox & os Catalina & Yosemite which is causing various apple MacBook laptops to constantly overheat and therefore making the fans run constantly. Unfortunately Parallels haven't yet manage to resolve the problem. Apparently the toolbox makes a bsdtar process run at around 100% cpu usage causing the overheating problem. Apart from disabling the toolbox altogether so that it doesn't run on start up I can't see any other way around this issue. I thought I would mention it here to forewarn apple users in case they have a similar overheating problem that they can't resolve.
Posted on Apr 16, 2020 1:58 PM