Russell Crowe angry over Virgin Australia’s hoverboard ban

He may just be a parent with two kids trying to go on vacation, but rules are rules. Even if you're Russell Crowe.

The 51-year-old Academy Award-winning actor has slammed Virgin Australia after being told at airport check-in that his children's hoverboards were not permitted in the plane's hold.

The popular holiday gift has been plagued with controversy after reports emerged of the self-balancing boards spontaneously bursting into flames. While the cause of the fires are still unknown, consumer safety probes suggest the problem may lie with the lithium batteries or faulty plugs.

In response, many major retailers swiftly announced a safety crackdown with Amazon halting almost all sales of the two-wheeled device.

Virgin Australia responded to the irrate filmmaker quickly on Twitter through their official account politely pointing out that many airlines have banned the boards.

However, it appears Crowe missed the furore demanding to know why he wasn't informed about the ban upon booking.

To which the flight operator replied saying the information is already available upon ticket confirmation and in pre-flight correspondence.

Virgin Australia tweeted: "Hi Russell, this information is outlined in the Dangerous Goods section in the booking confirmation and check in reminder emails you will have received.

"We have also communicated this on Facebook and Twitter, as well as through the media.

"We understand your frustration, however please appreciate that safety is our number one priority."

Crowe has vowed that he will "never again" fly with carrier and ended his social media exchange by retweeting a parent's reply thanking him for the warning.

However, many social media users applauded Virgin Australia for their handling of the situation.

Hoverboards have been banned by most major U.S. airlines as well as British Airways, Qantas, Emirates and Qatar.

Additionally, hoverboard fires investigations have become a "priority" for the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, who are currently looking into 16 cases across the country.