“Never again!” – Russell Crowe rants at Virgin Australia over hoverboard ban

Russell Crowe is just a dad, at an airport, trying to go on holidays.

Until Virgin Australia refused to check-in his children’s “hoverboards.”

Russell Crowe is just a dad, at an airport, trying to go on holidays.

Until Virgin Australia refused to check-in his children’s “hoverboards.”

Crowe vented his disgust over the airline’s no-Segway policy on Tuesday afternoon, vowing to “Never again” fly Virgin.

“Ridiculous @VirginAustralia. No Segway boards as luggage?” Crowe tweeted to his 1.85 million Twitter followers.

“Too late to tell us at airport. Kids and I offloaded. Goodbye Virgin. Never again,” Crowe wrote.

Crowe then demanded a response from the airline less than an hour later.

“@VirginAustralia I’m awaiting your reply, where is your duty of responsibility in this? Why not tell me when I am booking my ticket?,” he tweeted.

Comedian Joel Creasey seized the opportunity to give Crowe a good ribbing, Tweeting: “You’re a millionare [sic], babe. Get some perspective. Enjoy Tiger. They don’t even have real pilots x”.

But today Crowe was an everyman.

“I’m a father Joel, with two kids at an airport, trying to start our holiday,” he tweeted in response.

It is understood the Segways were the hands-free model, part of the two-wheeled self-balancing board family – this year’s hottest Christmas presents in Australia and internationally.

Crowe and his two sons, Charles, 12, and Tennyson, 9, did not progress past the check-in desk, choosing not to board their flight, Fairfax Media understands.

But better a missed flight than spontaneously combusting at 30,000 feet.

All major Australian airlines and most international carriers have banned the “small recreational vehicles” due to safety concerns.

Virgin Australia announced it had updated its dangerous goods policy to include the self-balancing boards on its no-fly list in mid-December.

The boards are a fire and explosion risk due to their lithium ion batteries, with a plethora of news reports – and Youtube videos – attesting to their flammability.

“At Virgin Australia, safety is our number one priority. In the interests of passenger safety, Virgin Australia does not permit the carriage of lithium battery operated small recreational vehicles, such as self-balancing boards, hoverboards, aero wheels as checked-in or carry-on baggage,” Virgin posted on its Facebook page and Twitter account on December 18.

Flight itineraries emailed to passengers include a link to the airline’s dangerous goods page, which lists the lithium battery operated boards on its “not permitted” list.

Cheap hoverboards were blamed for a series of house fires across Europe and the United States.

The fire brigade in London was forced to issue a “hoverboard safety warning” in October after being called to two house fires in two weeks caused by the toys.

The fires started with a loud explosion before quickly spreading.

The fire brigade pointed to a BBC investigation that found the hoverboards’ chargers “did not have fuses and could be at risk of overheating, exploding and catching fire”.

In Louisiana, a woman is claiming her 12-year-old’s new hoverboard, a Thanksgiving gift, burnt down her home.

Her board reportedly exploded into flames while charging.

Online retailers such as Amazon and Overstock have stopped selling some brands, and the hoverboards have been banned by NSW Roads Minister Duncan Gay.

Mr Gay announced the contraptions were now illegal on NSW roads and footpaths, carrying fines of up to $637.

It is understood Virgin Australia have been in touch with Mr Crowe to discuss his complaint.

About the author

Avatar of Linda Hohnholz

Linda Hohnholz

Editor in chief for eTurboNews based in the eTN HQ.

Share to...