Like a virgin, burned for the very first time

Courtesy InfoWorld:

Taking strict airline "No Smoking" policies to new heights, Virgin Airlines has joined Qantas and Korean Air in restricting usage of many Apple and Dell laptops on flights.

Specifically, owners of Apple and Dell systems can't run them on battery power while flying, because the airline fears they pose a potential fire hazard....

Passengers can still bring their Dell and Apple laptops on board; they just can't run them with battery power. That means only customers sitting in Premier Economy or Upper Class seats, who have access to in-seat power supplies, will be able to use their systems....

The restriction is indefinite. "Virgin is in communication with Apple and Dell. As soon as this safety issue is resolved these restrictions will be lifted," according to the site.

Let's look at something I said on June 29:

I'm wondering how the airlines would react. On the one hand, many of their customers would be pushing them to keep these "time bombs" off of planes. On the other hand, their frequent customers would demand that they be allowed to continue carrying them. Perhaps the vacation airlines will panic and ban them.

When I wrote that, I didn't account for the fact that (some) business customers would be able to use their laptops without having to use battery power. Unfortunately, my usual business flights don't qualify for business class...