MBA on a plane

[fitshaced]

As the battery on the MBA isn't removable, will there be a problem using it on a flight? Will charging it via the seat power socket be a problem?

I'm guessing this will be an issue/non issue for all MBA models/revisions.

 

[Mitchelino]

If the plane seat has a power socket, I'd assume it would work.

 

[vty]

... why would it be a problem to charge from the seat? You guys come up with the most ridiculous questions.

 

[strwrsfrk]

... why would it be a problem to charge from the seat? You guys come up with the most ridiculous questions.

I agree with that sentiment.

With that in mind, I just flew out from DC to San Francisco today with my 2010 13" MBA. I watched True Grit (1:54) at 1/2 brightness and have been surfing the web for about an hour and a half, and my battery still says 2:02. So there's probably not going to be muh of a problem with MBA's on airplanes.

 

[kolax]

Dim brightness down to just above half way, and you'll get up to 7 hours. How long is your flight?

 

[getyup]

... why would it be a problem to charge from the seat? You guys come up with the most ridiculous questions.

It's really NOT a silly question. If you don't understand it, maybe you should research.

To answer your question, yes and no. IF you're using a standard AC charger using the original power supply on an aircraft that has a standard US-type AC plug, then no issues whatsoever charging.

However, if you're flying an aircraft which features Empower plug adaptor (i.e. United Airlines domestic first Class, or many foreign international carriers first and business), and you're using Apple's Magsafe Airline adaptor, it WILL NOT charge, it will only power... so you should be careful if you're planning to charge an iPhone or iPad off the USB while plugged in. The Empower adaptor will only power, not charge. And any peripherals will slowly discharge the battery.

I fly 225k miles per year, and I can say the OPs post was certainly not silly nor stupid as it's not a simple 1-fits-all answer. If you don't want to contribute, don't, but clearly there's more to the answer than you know about.

 

[fitshaced]

... why would it be a problem to charge from the seat? You guys come up with the most ridiculous questions.

Charming.

I flew with a macbook pro before and the hostess told me I had to remove the battery. Something I cannot do with this MBA.

The seat power strength varies in different aircrafts. So, if the battery is in and the laptop is looking for power, it will try to charge the battery and keep the machine on. Something many airlines cannot do with a MBP.

Seriously, you need to try and be a bit nicer.

 

[getyup]

Charming.

I flew with a macbook pro before and the hostess told me I had to remove the battery. Something I cannot do with this MBA.

The seat power strength varies in different aircrafts. So, if the battery is in and the laptop is looking for power, it will try to charge the battery and keep the machine on. Something many airlines cannot do with a MBP.

Seriously, you need to try and be a bit nicer.

Ignore him. He likely lives in Iowa and clearly has never flown far enough to be on a plane with power plugs, and certainly not business or first class. Don't let the trolls bother you, and please refer to my last comment for the answers to your question.

If you frequent an airline that requires battery removal, you may need to stick with a MacBook Pro. I travel 500k miles per year, all around the world and have never heard of an airline that requires battery removal though, hehehe.

 

[fitshaced]

It's really NOT a silly question. If you don't understand it, maybe you should research.

To answer your question, yes and no. IF you're using a standard AC charger using the original power supply on an aircraft that has a standard US-type AC plug, then no issues whatsoever charging.

However, if you're flying an aircraft which features Empower plug adaptor (i.e. United Airlines domestic first Class, or many foreign international carriers first and business), and you're using Apple's Magsafe Airline adaptor, it WILL NOT charge, it will only power... so you should be careful if you're planning to charge an iPhone or iPad off the USB while plugged in. The Empower adaptor will only power, not charge. And any peripherals will slowly discharge the battery.

I fly 225k miles per year, and I can say the OPs post was certainly not silly nor stupid as it's not a simple 1-fits-all answer. If you don't want to contribute, don't, but clearly there's more to the answer than you know about.

Good to see someone has an answer for me

 

[Apple 26.2]

I flew with a macbook pro before and the hostess told me I had to remove the battery. Something I cannot do with this MBA.

I fly a good deal domestically and internationally... I have never heard of this practice.

 

[getyup]

I fly a good deal domestically and internationally... I have never heard of this practice.

I haven't either, but take a domestic flight in Indonesia or Rusia or western Africa and you'll get all sorts of bizarre requests from the flight crew, hahaha.

 

[fitshaced]

I fly a good deal domestically and internationally... I have never heard of this practice.

It wasn't a rule by the airline. I had to do it to get my MBP to power on as, otherwise it tried to charge the batter as well as keep the machine on. The seat didn't give enough power. This was using the ac adaptor that came with the MBP. The MBA requires less power but thought I'd ask the question to those who have flown with a MBA and successfully powered from the seat.

 

[getyup]

It wasn't a rule by the airline. I had to do it to get my MBP to power on as, otherwise it tried to charge the batter as well as keep the machine on. The seat didn't give enough power. This was using the ac adaptor that came with the MBP. The MBA requires less power but thought I'd ask the question to those who have flown with a MBA and successfully powered from the seat.

In 99% of cases it'll power it just fine, but with a Empower, you have to have at least some charge left in the battery. With an airline that uses a standard AC plug it'll work just fine, even if the battery is dead.

 

[CapnJackGig]

I just flew from Orlando back home to Seattle with my 2010 MBA and no one said a thing to me about my battery. Never heard of that before. The usual "turn it off during takeoff" though. The flight was 6 hours, and I used it for about 5 hours of that and found myself at 20 percent battery life when I finally turned it off.

 

[getyup]

I just flew from Orlando back home to Seattle with my 2010 MBA and no one said a thing to me about my battery. Never heard of that before. The usual "turn it off during takeoff" though. The flight was 6 hours, and I used it for about 5 hours of that and found myself at 20 percent battery life when I finally turned it off.

I had the 2010 11" and sold it for a 2011 11", and the battery on the 2010 was much better. Oh well, I'll trade processing power and backlit keys for an hour less battery anyway. Hopefully Apple will release an optimization update, but we'll see. It's next to never I fly without a seat with a plug, so I'm not too worried.

 

[bearsalley34]

Is there a way to tell the difference between a standard AC plug and the Empower plug?

 

[getyup]

Is there a way to tell the difference between a standard AC plug and the Empower plug?

AC adaptor is like you have on the wall in your house. Empower either looks like a cigarette lighter in a car, or a small circle with holes in it.

Image is empower.

 

[Smurfed]

Simple question about airplane charging.

-Reads thread-
Turns into a huge internet fight about <off-topic stuff>.

srs business.

 

[iVeBeenDrinkin']

MBA on a train?...sorry, couldn't resist.

 

[getyup]

MBA on a train?...sorry, couldn't resist.

There are too many MacBook Airs on this mother Fu@$@$ Plane!

 

[balamw]

Simple question about airplane charging.

-Reads thread-
Turns into a huge internet fight ...

srs business.

And that's why this particular thread is edited and closed.