It may be common but I don't agree it's normal. Yes, my MBP does it but not a single other two-pronged metal appliance in my house does it.
Well pretty much all of Apple's aluminium products do it, so if consider it pretty normal.
Found this:
When you plug your iPad into a wall outlet (or any charger for that matter), you would think the current should go into the device alone. Well, it doesn’t. Some of the charge is dispersed along the metal case by design. Here is a comment on Apple’s forum quoted from Apple’s support team regarding this issue:
There is measurable AC voltage across the external metal parts when an iPad charges. The measured voltage is within the SELV (Separated Extra-Low Voltage) limit, which means that the iPad is safe to touch. Additionally, the touch current is within the safety limit according to UL/IEC 60950 (Safety of Information Technology Equipment).[1]