More flight restrictions

[Wizzo]

Looks like air travel has just gotten a little bit more complicated, with the US Department of Transportation issuing a statement concerning loose lithium batteries. This edict of sorts claims that lithium batteries will have to be inserted into a phone, notebook or other electronic device or dropped into a plastic bag and bundled along with carry-on baggage with a maximum number of two batteries per passenger from January 1st onwards. I guess the US Department of Transportation does not want to start off the New Year with a bang, eh?

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, this restriction came about due to the fact should a lithium battery catch fire while in a cargo hold, existing extinguishing systems won’t be able to stop the blaze, and could result in serious injury and even death for those who are on-board. The National Transportation Safety Board also insists that it has not ruled out lithium as the source of a plane fire at the Philadelphia International Airport in 2006. What does this ban mean for most folks? Well, notebook users will probably be hit the hardest as there are folks who tend to carry extra batteries in order to extend the notebook’s power supply while in flight. Shutterbugs who have an avid love for photography will also find this regulation to be rather stifling, since they love carrying pre-charged batteries when traveling to places with different electrical outlets.

Is it just me, or does anyone think that the airline industry is going to regulate itself out of business in the near future, never mind the ever spiraling costs of fuel? Further investigation on the Department of Transportation’s site showed that Li-ion batteries under 8 grams of lithium equivalent are allowed without a quantity restriction, so a 60-watt hour MacBook Pro battery is approximately 5.5 grams, making it theoretically possible to take as many as you like on your flight. Anyone dare to test this theory out?

[cosworth151]

Now Wizzo, don't you know that that camera battery could be used to blow up that bottle of shampoo that isn't allowed, either? That, of course, is after someone saws the plane in half with a pair of nail clippers.

Seriously, it isn't the airlines coming up with this crap. This all comes from the Bush leaguers at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the Tranportation Safety Administration (TSA). The main job of these political hacks is to distract attention from the mess that King George the Lesser and his henchmen are making of everything.

This is why our company drives everywhere we go except the west coast.

[Steven Roy]

More idiotic nonsense.  I am surprised they haven't banned shoes because one guy had a shoe bomb.  At some point it must occur to these people that there hasn't been any significant incident in the past few years and the courts are not full of people who have been stopped trying to take explosive devices on to planes.

Ever since the end of the cold war politicians have been looking for enemies who want to destroy our way of life to justify their own policies.

[Wizzo]

Ever since the end of the cold war politicians have been looking for enemies who want to destroy our way of life to justify their own policies.

...and budgets!