Two things we've learnt about Russell Crowe today: He doesn't always take private jets and he's not on top of the latest news.
The Oscar-winning actor took to Twitter to share his outrage at Virgin Australia's "ridiculous" decision to ban fliers from traveling with Segway personal transport boards as luggage. Crowe vowed to "never again" to fly with the airline.
But he should have gone to Google first, because news of several airlines banning hoverboards over fire concerns has been rife in December. British Airways, Singapore Airlines, as well as major U.S. airlines and, you guessed it, Virgin, have all introduced various bans on Segways or other forms of hover or self-balancing boards, either on board or in the hold.
The fire concerns relate to the lithium batteries that power the boards. Recent Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) tests showed that transporting lithium batteries was more dangerous than previously thought because they easily caught fire if they had a defect, physical damage or short circuited.
Even on Segway's official FAQ site, the company stated that "several mass transportation providers have specific regulations regarding travel with Segway PTs" and that in general lithium-ion batteries are considered "hazardous material and are not allowed on commercial passenger airlines."
Despite clearly stating that recreational vehicles like Segway's are not permitted on their flights, Virgin Australia has since replied via tweets to Crowe, apologizing for the inconvenience and explaining the safety concerns.
The airline's apologies did nothing to cool Crowe, who demanded in second tweet that Virgin Australia bear "responsibility" for the incident.