Thought you’d heard the last about the Galaxy Note 7? Think again. A passenger on-board a Virgin America flight almost caused the plane to be grounded becuase their portable Wi-Fi hotspot was named ‘Samsung Galaxy Note 7’.
This prompted urgent announcements from crew aboard Virgin America flight 358 from San Francisco to Boston, asking the owner of the device to come forward.
Samsung’s explosive phablet has been been officially barred from flight by the Federal Aviation Authority in the US, making it a federal crime to take the device on a plane.
Related: CES 2017
However, once the owner came forward, it emerged there was no Note 7 on-board the flight, and that the hotspot name was not accurate.
Passenger Lucas Wojciechowski claimed to have taken a screensot of the offending hot spot during the flight,
https://twitter.com/statuses/811105015179919360
According to Wojciechowski, the cabin crew made a further announcement, saying: “This isn’t a joke. We’re going to turn on the lights” (its 11pm) “and search everyone’s bag until we find it.”
The captain then reportedly warned passengers that the flight would have to be diverted to a nearby airport so the plane could be searched.
https://twitter.com/statuses/811105823745331200
While the whole event has been reported as a ‘prank’, one Twitter user pointed out to Wojciechowski that it could have actually been an honest mistake on the part of the owner of the device.
Steve Baxter said he switched from a Note 7 to a Galaxy S7 but that his portable Wi-Fi hotspot retained the name of the ill-fated phablet.
https://twitter.com/statuses/812132635887751169
It could very well be that the passenger who cause the disruption did so unwittingly, then, though it remains unclear just what happened at this point.
Samsung has issued a global recall for the Note 7, so if you’re still using one of the devices it’s time to contact Samsung or the retailer you bought the phone from, to arrange for a replacement.
WATCH: Galaxy Note 7 Review
Let us know what you think of the latest Note 7 issues in the comments.
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Editorial independence
Editorial independence means being able to give an unbiased verdict about a product or company, with the avoidance of conflicts of interest. To ensure this is possible, every member of the editorial staff follows a clear code of conduct.
Professional conduct
We also expect our journalists to follow clear ethical standards in their work. Our staff members must strive for honesty and accuracy in everything they do. We follow the IPSO Editors’ code of practice to underpin these standards.
