FAA tells airlines MacBook Pros with defective batteries can’t fly

The 2015 15-inch Retina MacBook Pro. (credit: Andrew Cunningham)

The Federal Aviation Administration has banned certain 15-inch MacBook Pros with potentially defective batteries from US flights. The move, which follows Apple's June recall announcement, is part of a general FAA policy on devices with defective batteries.

"The FAA is aware of the recalled batteries that are used in some Apple MacBook Pro laptops," FAA spokespeople said in emails to Ars Technica. Under FAA policy, affected MacBook Pros are banned from the passenger cabin and from checked luggage.

The FAA says it alerted airlines about the recall in early July. The agency also says it informed the public on social media around the same time, though it didn't get much attention at the time.

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