I see from the BBC that Virgin Atlantic has joined a growing list of airlines that are banning the use of Dell and Apple laptops by battery power while in flight. I have, of course, checked my battery, and it isn’t on the danger list. Indeed, it is made in Korea, so it comes from an entirely different factory to the recall stock. However, I can quite understand that airlines fear many passengers won’t bother to check what batteries they have. And hard-pressed airline security staff can’t be expected to check battery serial numbers against the danger list. Knowing how some passengers behave, they’ll probably soon be impounding the batteries at the gate to make sure people don’t slip them back in once they have boarded.

It would, of course, be good if airlines offered in-seat power points for more than just first and business-class travelers, but that would mean upgrading aircraft and they are short enough of cash as it is. And the inevitable result of all these security measures is that fewer and fewer people will fly, and flying will become more and more expensive. -sigh-