Virgin waives in-flight laptop battery use ban

Virgin Atlantic has lifted its total ban on the in-flight use of batteries for any Apple or Dell laptop.

The airline recently began preventing passengers from bringing onto planes any Apple and Dell laptops with their batteries still inside. That ban followed last month's recall of more than five million batteries from the companies' laptops. Virgin Atlantic's initial decision reflected similar restrictions by Korean Air and Qantas.

In a new update on its site, however, Virgin Atlantic has said passengers "wishing to use an Apple or Dell laptop onboard can only do so once the laptop serial number has been checked by a member of the cabin crew".

Only a small portion of the computer makers' laptops are affected by the faulty Sony batteries, which both Apple and Dell claim can overheat and catch fire.

The airline said that if a battery is not on the recall list, the laptop can be used without restriction.

If a battery comes from the affected batch as identified by Apple and Dell, it must be removed.

The airline said: "In cabins where the seats are fitted with in-seat power supplies... leads/adaptors will be offered. Any removed or spare batteries must be individually wrapped/protected and placed in your carry-on baggage. This is limited to two batteries per passenger."

In cases where no in-seat power supplies are provided, the use of the Dell or Apple laptop with recalled batteries is strictly prohibited.

Virgin Atlantic said the restrictions will be lifted as soon as the safety issues are resolved.

Scott Mckenzie writes for ZDNet Australia