We knew it was only a matter of time. Cebu Pacific and Philippine Airlines have joined other carriers around the world that ban the use of Samsung Galaxy Note 7 on their flights until further notice.

The two largest airlines in the country issued separate advisories following the global recall of Samsung’s latest device over exploding batteries earlier this month.

Cebu Pacific on September 12 advised passengers to stop using and charging their Galaxy Note 7 phones on board its flights. The devices are not allowed as checked-in items as well, but may be brought inside the plane as long as they are turned off at all times.

PAL today also announced the same thing. The flag carrier revealed it “began implementing the prohibition since September 9, 2016, in compliance with the directive of the International Air Transport Association.”

Samsung Galaxy Note 7 units are not allowed as checked-in items as well, but may be brought inside the plane as long as they are turned off at all times.

If you are a Galaxy Note 7 owner, Samsung Electronics Philippines urges you to power down your phone and participate in its replacement program, details of which can be found here. Sad to say you will have to wait until October 1 to get a new Note 7, but if you don’t mind exchanging it for a Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge, you will immediately get the latter. One more option? Get a refund, and use that money to buy another smartphone.

When it announced the worldwide recall of some 2.5 million Galaxy Note 7 units on September 2, Samsung said there have been only 35 reported cases of the device exploding or catching fire because of a faulty battery. That number has since risen, as more incidents have been reported, including a Note 7 that caught fire while a six-year-old boy was watching a video on it.

ADDITIONAL TAKE: Why do I have a feeling the problem is more serious than Samsung let on? I hope I’m wrong. If there’s one thing I want, it’s for the company to bounce back from this setback. It has already lost $25 billion or roughly P1.2 trillion in market value since the recall and could probably lose much more with the holiday season just around the corner and competitors like Apple breathing down its neck. I’d hate to see one of the more reliable phone manufacturers’ gains before “battery-gate” go down the drain. A stricter device-quality check next time then?

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