Apple iPhone gets stuck inside Qantas aircraft, earns frequent flyer miles
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An iPhone was lost by its owner on a Qantas flight and the handset ended up stuck on the plane during several international flights. The action started on May 6th as detailed in an online forum called the Australian Frequent Flyer Community. That is when a member of the community using the handle “Rugby” asked for a phone number for Qantas’ lounge.
He needed the number because his wife had apparently left her iPhone on a Qantas plane. Rugby wrote that thanks to the “Find My” app, he knew that the handset had boarded the plane with his wife, flying from Sydney to Auckland. It then flew back to Sydney, went from Sydney to Honolulu to Sydney, and then flew from Sydney to Auckland to Sydney again.
This iPhone was caught in a Qantas business seat in 2016 and when the battery was punctured, it started an in-flight fire
Meanwhile, the Rugby family was able to follow the phone’s travels and there must have been enough battery life for the phone to continue sending out signals. The device was believed to be stuck in the seat that Mrs. Rugby had been sitting in during the original flight. You would have thought that this would have led Qantas to do whatever was needed to extricate the phone from the chair.
That’s because the airline always makes announcements warning passengers that a phone stuck in a chair could catch on fire. Indeed, back in 2016 an iPhone stuck in a business class seat on a Qantas flight from L.A. to New York caught fire after the lithium battery inside the phone was crushed. The passenger tried to use the recliner to free the device and it ended up bending the battery and engulfing the phone in flames.
Luckily, the onboard crew was able to put out the fire using fire extinguishers and Qantas decided to redesign the seats on its planes. You would have thought that the airline would have put forth a more serious effort to find and/or free Mrs. Rugby’s Apple iPhone considering the mid-flight fire that took place only a few years back. One person monitoring the thread suggested that the Rugby’s send an email to Qantas to let them know of the potential threat to the airplane.
Another member of the community had a good point about how poorly Qantas is cleaning its planes between flights if it couldn’t find the phone. Also, the airline’s security checks between flights are also lacking.
After the phone made three roundtrips and landed in Sydney for the third time, a member of the forum assisted Qantas with the retrieval of the phone. It wasn’t known whether this person was a passenger who had been following the forum or a Qantas employee who is a member of the forum. Regardless, the Rugby’s received a call from a Qantas employee who said that they had the phone and would be taking it to international baggage services.
Mr. Rugby was in Auckland when he heard from Qantas that they had his partner’s iPhone. He picked up the well-traveled device the following week when he returned to Sydney. By the way, leaving your phone on a plane is not an isolated situation. A member of a forum called One Mile At A Time who goes by the name of “JD,” wrote, “Flew MEX-FRA first class (747) a couple of years ago. When I woke up I could not find my iPhone anywhere.”
He continued. “After a perfect in flight, it was like an out of body experience… I couldn’t find it, the flight attendants couldn’t find it and the other poor passengers in first class were like “get over it”. I was so embarrassed but once everyone deplaned, mechanics came on board and finally was (sic) able to find it… we almost missed our connecting flight but was elated to have my iPhone back for our month long vacation in Europe.”
Questions & Answers
Q.When did the iPhone's journey begin and which online community first reported it?
When did the iPhone's journey begin and which online community first reported it?
A.
The iPhone's journey started on May 6th, as detailed in the Australian Frequent Flyer Community. A member named "Rugby" initially sought a Qantas lounge phone number after his wife left her iPhone on a plane.
Q.What flights did the iPhone take while stuck on the Qantas aircraft?
What flights did the iPhone take while stuck on the Qantas aircraft?
A.
The iPhone flew from Sydney to Auckland and back, then Sydney to Honolulu and back, followed by another round trip from Sydney to Auckland and back to Sydney. It completed three roundtrips in total.
Q.Why would Qantas be particularly concerned about a phone stuck in a seat?
Why would Qantas be particularly concerned about a phone stuck in a seat?
A.
Qantas would be concerned due to a previous incident in 2016 where an iPhone stuck in a business class seat caught fire. The lithium battery was crushed, igniting flames, leading to seat redesigns.
Q.How was the lost iPhone eventually located and returned to its owner?
How was the lost iPhone eventually located and returned to its owner?
A.
A forum member assisted Qantas with the phone's retrieval after its third return to Sydney. Qantas then called Mr. Rugby, who was in Auckland, and he collected the device the following week in Sydney.
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