Doesn't Apple fix the no-fly problem for free, since the only ones affected by the no-fly are the recalled ones (any recalled lithium ion battery is no-fly)?
Sure it takes time to fix and the problem really shouldn't have happened in the first place, but if your machine is at risk of having the battery overheat or catch fire, it feels like the fact you can't fly with it ought to be the least of your worries.
My mid-2015 MacBook Pro was manufactured outside the recall window (July 2017). It is not a dangerous device. But I doubt I can convince the TSA officer that, and my options will probably be to either hand over the MacBook Pro or not fly at all.
Sure it takes time to fix and the problem really shouldn't have happened in the first place, but if your machine is at risk of having the battery overheat or catch fire, it feels like the fact you can't fly with it ought to be the least of your worries.