Possible hardware problem with USB-C MacBook: Airplane charging?

riverfreak said:

I've been on 6 flight segments in the past three days (and about 15 since I got my MacBook).

More often than not (~90% of the time) I have been unable to charge my MacBook from the in-seat power.

This has been on a variety of aircraft, all Boeing. 737, 757, 767, 777.

I'm using the stock charger with the USB-C cable. I've tested the outlets with other devices (none of them with a ground plug, BTW) and they work fine.

Anybody else experience this?

Click to expand...

What other devices? Like smartphones and tablets? I think the USB port simply doesn't have enough power to keep the rMB charged. So it's not really a hardware problem with the MacBook itself.

riverfreak said:

I've been on 6 flight segments in the past three days (and about 15 since I got my MacBook).

More often than not (~90% of the time) I have been unable to charge my MacBook from the in-seat power.

This has been on a variety of aircraft, all Boeing. 737, 757, 767, 777.

I'm using the stock charger with the USB-C cable. I've tested the outlets with other devices (none of them with a ground plug, BTW) and they work fine.

Anybody else experience this?

Click to expand...

I've been on 30+ segments since owning my MB and never had an issue. Sounds like you might have a charger issue.

Additionally, remember airplane seats which offer power do prioritize front of plane to back... I'm under the impression that there is a tolerance level, and then they shut down, so in other words if everyone in first class is on their power port, the back few rows may shut down.

But yeah, never had an issue with mine, so you may want to get that checked out. Various airlines and aircraft, never an issue.

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PDFierro said:

I think the USB port simply doesn't have enough power to keep the rMB charged. So it's not really a hardware problem with the MacBook itself.

Click to expand...

He's not talking about the USB port... like he said, the standard AC adaptor.

Sounds like it is in fact either an issue with his physical cable\brick, or an issue with the power system in the mac. I've never experienced this issue and have been on far more flights than him, and on varying airlines and aircraft type.