Portable chargers must now ride in carry‑on bags, or risk being seized at the checkpoint.
The Transportation Security Administration has tightened its lithium‑battery rules, ordering travelers to keep portable chargers, power banks, and other loose lithium‑ion packs out of checked luggage. Anyone who ignores the change could watch agents remove the gadget before the suitcase even reaches the plane.
First reports of the silent crackdown surfaced after officers at several major hubs—Atlanta, Denver, and Los Angeles among them—began plucking battery packs from suitcases without prior public notice. The agency later confirmed the move, citing the well‑documented risk of fires that burn hotter and faster in a confined cargo hold.
Why lithium‑powered chargers pose a greater fire hazard in the cargo hold
Lithium cells can overheat, rupture, and spark when crushed or damaged. Inside the belly of an aircraft, a runaway battery “can spread quickly and is difficult to control,” aviation outlet AFAR warns. Consequently, the Federal Aviation Administration prohibits spare lithium batteries in checked bags and limits each passenger to two high‑capacity units carried in the cabin. Talk about an unwelcome inflight surprise—who wants flames beneath their seat?
Everything travelers must shift to carry‑on bags under the new rules
Before zipping up that roller, double‑check the items below:
- Portable power banks and standalone phone chargers
- Spare laptop or camera batteries
- E‑cigarettes and vape pens (use on board is still barred)
- External “snap‑on” charging cases
- Any loose lithium‑metal cells for watches or flashlights
Place each device in a protective sleeve, and tape exposed terminals to prevent short circuits. Simple? Yes, but skipping the step can cost time and money at security.
Penalties and real stories of confiscations you really want to avoid
Remember the Los Angeles traveler who stunned officers last December with 82 fireworks and multiple weapons in her carry‑on? Confiscations aren’t always that dramatic, yet losing a $120 power bank hurts. Agents may also issue civil fines if they conclude a flier “willfully” violated battery rules. Who needs that headache minutes before boarding?
These are the eleven surprising items the TSA now gives the green light to. Not all news is restrictive. Thanks to new CT scanners that peek inside bottles, passengers can BYO:
| Newly approved item | Notes on quantity or size |
|---|---|
| Over‑the‑counter liquid medications | Any size |
| Breast milk and baby formula | Any size |
| Ice packs to keep perishables cold | Frozen at screening |
| Medical creams and gels | Unlimited |
| Liquid nutrition shakes | Full‑sized containers |
The full list runs to 11 products, but these five cover the most common requests. Isn’t it refreshing to see a rule relax for once?
Keep every spare lithium‑ion battery—large or small—in your carry‑on. Seal the terminals, respect the two‑pack limit, and you’ll sail through security while protecting fellow passengers from an avoidable inflight fire.