Following Flight Ban, Samsung Setting Up Smartphone Exchange Booths at Airports Around World
We reported earlier this week that Samsung’s latest flagship phone iteration, the Galaxy Note 7, has been strictly banned from all flights leaving and entering the US.
Samsung’s response is admirable—and probably necessary: the company is opening booths at airports that allow customers to exchange their banned devices (which they cannot get through security or with checked baggage) for a different phone.
“We are working with airlines and airports . . . to arrange customer service points within high-traffic terminals where customers, who are unaware of the Galaxy Note 7 ban on flights, can arrange an alternative device at the airport,” the company says online.
These customer service points at airports are open for most of each day and are located before security screening.
After 100 known incidents of overheating devices—including replacement models—the Federal Aviation Administration decided to outright ban the phone for everyone’s safety. Passengers who board a plane with a Note 7 will face penalties up to $179,333 per violation per day and face up to 10 years’ prison time.
Analysts conservatively estimate that Samsung’s immediate financial fallout from this fiasco is several billion dollars—but the long-term damage to the company’s reputation could be significantly higher, experts suggest.
