The TSA has alerted travelers that they are not allowed to bring seven specific items in their checked baggage following a recent restriction implemented this year.
Transportation Security Administration
turned to social media to inform everyone that phone-friendly devices like portable chargers and power banks won’t be permitted and will get seized.
Authorities stated that limitations on portable chargers and power banks are being implemented due to the danger of fires caused by overheating equipment. In January, a power bank was implicated in a blaze aboard Air Busan Flight 391 in South Korea, resulting in injuries to at least seven individuals.
The Federal Aviation Administration recommends: “Uninstalled spare lithium-ion and lithium-metal batteries, such as power banks and cellphone charging cases, should only be transported in your carry-on luggage. If you check a bag either at the gate or planeside, remove all spare lithium batteries and power banks from the bag and keep them with you inside the cabin of the airplane. It’s crucial to ensure that the battery terminals do not come into contact with anything that could cause a short circuit.”
- The TSA reports that five states will still not need REAL IDs following the May 7 deadline.
- Brilliant airport TSA safety advice guarantees your cherished items will always be secure.
This pertains to extra lithium metal and additional rechargeable lithium-ion batteries intended for personal gadgets like cameras, mobile phones, laptops, tablets, wristwatches, calculators, among others. It also encompasses portable battery chargers that include a built-in lithium-ion battery. If you have lithium batteries that are already part of an item (such as a laptop, cellphone, or camera), refer to the section titled ‘Portable Electronic Devices Containing Batteries’.
The modifications have been emphasized since new Real ID regulations come into play today (Wednesday, May 7). Back in November 2024, a Southwest airplane departing from Denver had to be evacuated following a passenger’s cell phone catching fire. Additionally, another Southwest flight bound for Miami in April 2024 needed to make an emergency landing in Palm Beach when the crew spotted a smoldering, overheated cell phone.
In 2020, the FAA prohibited carrying loose, unused lithium-ion metal batteries in checked baggage. This ban has been extended to include power banks and cellphone battery charging cases as well.
The following items should be placed in your carry-on baggage:
- Power banks
- Cell phone battery charging cases
- Lithium batteries that can be recharged and those that cannot be recharged
- Cell phone batteries
- Laptop batteries
- External batteries
- Portable rechargers
Travelers can bring up to two extra large batteries with watt-hour ratings from 101 to 160 Wh. These include high-capacity laptop batteries as well as certain power sources utilized in specialized AV gear.
The batteries should only be used personally. Selling or distributing them is not allowed.
Portable chargers and power banks might overheat or undergo a phenomenon known as thermal runaway, where a battery cell rapidly escalates in temperature unexpectedly. According to the FAA, this condition could occur due to damage to the battery, excessive heat exposure, contact with water, improper charging, incorrect packing, or flaws from the production process.
Aircraft personnel are prepared to identify and handle battery fires should they happen inside the plane’s passenger area. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) advises individuals to inform the flight attendants at once if they encounter a battery or gadget that becomes too hot, swells up, emits smoke, or catches fire mid-flight. Additionally, the FAA mandates that all batteries carried by passengers must be shielded against harm and electrical shorts.
As of May 7,
A REAL ID-compliant ID or another approved form of identification will be necessary.
To embark on a commercial flight within the United States, or to access numerous federal buildings, military installations, and nuclear power stations.
The Real ID Act, enacted in 2005, set basic security requirements for obtaining licenses nationwide and barred certain federal entities from recognizing any lesser standard, as advised by the 9/11 Commission.
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