Hoax Advisory: Laptop computers on int'l airlines
At least two versions of the following alert aimed at international air travelers have been circulating on the Internet since late last year. The alert warns that tray tables on some airlines are magnetized, thus posing a hazard to laptop computers. According to the International Air Transport Association, these claims are completely false. (For links to further information, see Guide's Note below.)|
The following is a notice to all Laptop users. Please read and
take note if your traveling.
Recently, two individuals from USPL were traveling to Belgium on Sabena Belgium World Airlines, which is affiliated with Delta Airlines. They were seated in row 6 of the plane where seats contain the tray tables in the armrest section of the seat. They set up their tray tables and proceeded to use their laptop computers. During the flight, both their PCs began experiencing problems, and soon they were unable to use their PCs. Apparently the tray tables were magnetized, so that tray tables will not make noises while stored in the armrests. The magnetized trays corrupted the hard drives of both laptops. On this particular Belgium flight, the aircraft happened to be a "new" Airbus 340, which explains why this has not surfaced until now. The problem seems to be with a specific European aircraft seat manufacturer. US Airways, Northwest and United have no plans to utilize these magnetized trays in their new Airbus aircraft. Boeing and McDonald Douglas also have no plans to use these magnetized trays in their new aircraft, and there have been no reported cases of other types of aircraft experiencing this problem. The purpose of this notice is to simply make travelers aware of the "potential" problem, especially on Airbus aircraft built for European-based airlines. If the tray table appears to be magnetized (use a paperclip to see if it sticks), then I advise people not to us their laptop computer on these trays. Please pass this advisory on to your international travelers. |
Guide's Note: We don't know for sure where this misinformation came from or why it was put into circulation, but it stands to reason that someone had a serious beef with Sabena Belgium World Airlines and resorted to Internet rumormongering to get even. In December of last year, an online magazine called Wanderlust published a slightly different version of the alert, asking readers to respond with any firsthand knowledge of similar incidents. There were no affirmative replies. In its next issue, the magazine reported that it had determined the information to be false, citing a December 19 press release from the International Air Transport Association. Unfortunately, the bogus warning is still making the rounds by email. Disregard it if it lands in your inbox... and leave those paperclips at home.
http://urbanlegends.about.com/library/bllaptop.htm
