Qatar Airways grounds Boeing 787 Dreamliners, cancels Perth-Doha debut

I'm not sure I follow you, Babushka, exactly what point are you trying to make? Are you blaming the media for these groundings?

I think hes just asking if this is the media being alarmist or is this normal? Its hard nowadays to know how fearful we should be of something because of the 24 hour news cycle.. just think of swine flu. 

Anyway I was thinking this myself; every new aircraft has had problems, the A380 certainly did. So how normal is this?

My take on the Dreamliner (and I think David generally concurs) is this:

1. The general media loves (loves) a good scary aviation story, because people find not having control of their own fates on a plane a little bit weird at the best of times. It's why airplane disaster movies work so well: Passengers terrified! Aircraft plummeted! I thought I was going to die in a fiery death trap! I speak jive! Snake on a plane! It makes for a great story. But flying is still safer than staying at home.
2. Boeing delivered an unprecedented number of aircraft for the first year of operation with the 787. Simple statistics means that we are seeing a relatively high number of relatively minor snags popping up and being reported, simply because there are so many aircraft flying so early in the plane's life. For example: faulty indicator lights, fuel line leaks, brake issues, cracked windscreens. (These sound very dramatic if you big them up, but most frequent flyers will be familiar with these as not uncommon reasons for delays.)
3. There is obviously a problem with the GS Yuasa-Thales-Boeing batteries. (The question of whether it was a good idea that Boeing outsourced to Thales who outsoured to GSY and involved a third company to put it all together is a very valid criticism. Boeing is on record saying that they're unlikely to build a jet this way again.) Once they're fixed, the plane should be ready to go.
4. It's intriguing that the aircraft in Japan was delivered over a year ago and had an issue with the front main battery. The one in Boston? Delivered last month and had an issue with the rear APU battery. Is this a manufacturing defect? Did the reworking of all those 787s that were (are!) sitting around in Seattle have any effect? 
5. Let's really not blow this out of proportion. Everything is working as it should. In Japan, the sensors in the 787 activated when the battery overheated, the protections for the other electronics (from the battery fluid spray) and the warning systems meant that the plane landed swiftly and safely, the emergency evacuation procedures meant only one elderly person was slightly scratched up after coming down the slide, and the regulations limited the 787 to being three hours from a diversion airport anyway. The system is safe and sensible.

I'd be the first person to get back on a 787 the moment they fix the battery problems and start flying again.