Update: I have gotten some info that this is a hoax.
I can almost guarantee you that there will be a ban on using Laptops in Airplanes happening very soon. Some airlines have already banned the use of Dell and Apple computers in-flight. The latest laptop to blow up was a Thinkpad and I am sure if it had a Sony battery in it that it will be added to the list of banned devices used at 35,000 feet. [Engadget]
Problem with this is that the batteries don’t even have to be in the laptops for this to occur. Banning the use will do not good, you will have to ban them completly, including check luggage, which will be a disaster for the airline industry.
I travel weekly and could live without working on my laptop but not being able to have it with me at all would make my trips impossible.