However it looks like the FAA is no longer requiring that airlines make the announcement. In an announcement on Samsung’s website, “The U.S. Department of Transportation’s decision today to remove the requirement for the airlines to make specific pre-boarding notification reflects the exceptionally high rates of participation in the U.S. Note7 Refund and Exchange Program.”
Samsung is also boasting that so far they have managed to recall 96% of Note 7 handsets out there. The company was not specific but since this is its US website, we can only assume that this number is referring to the US market. We’re not sure what the return rates are for the other markets, but we can only assume that they are just as high.
Considering that telcos around the world along with Samsung are issuing updates to disable the handset, we guess users who were stubbornly holding onto the phone have no choice but to turn it in, lest they find themselves with a dangerous and expensive paper weight.