Uh-oh: batteries banned from checked luggage starting next week
A new Department of Transportation rule takes effect Jan. 1 that will prevent airline passengers from packing loose lithium batteries in their checked luggage. But just this once it isn’t terrorism fears that have led to the restrictions, but safety considerations, according to the government.
The announcement, which was made by the DOT this morning, is bound to be misinterpreted by the Transportation Security Administration, if not by airline passengers. So for those of us who carry a spare, here’s a primer on checked batteries:
• The ban affects only Lithium batteries. All others are presumably still fine.
• Common consumer electronics such as travel cameras, cell phones, and most laptop computers are still allowed in carry-on and checked luggage. (Note: airlines won’t cover any loss or damage to electronics that are checked in. Don’t check these items in. Repeat: don’t check them. Ever.)
• Lithium batteries are allowed in checked baggage if they are installed in electronic devices.
• Batteries carried on must be stored in plastic bags.
• There’s a limit of two spare rechargeable lithium batteries, such as laptop and professional audio/video/camera equipment lithium batteries in carry-on baggage.
What’s behind the rule? Well, unlike most liquids, gels and pies, which are not combustible, Lithium batters apparently are explosive. Even without the presence of a terrorist on the plane.
Lithium batteries are considered hazardous materials because they can overheat and ignite in certain conditions. Safety testing conducted by the FAA found that current aircraft cargo fire suppression system would not be capable of suppressing a fire if a shipment of non-rechargeable lithium batteries were ignited in flight.
Why did the DOT wait until Jan. 1 to clamp down on batteries? Why not just issue a new directive, which would take effect immediately? Who knows.
Folks, this one isn’t going to go down easy with wired travelers whose productivity would plummet without an adequate supply of spare batteries. And the TSA is going to have a field day with this new rule.
Just wait.
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17 Responses to “Uh-oh: batteries banned from checked luggage starting next week”
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Another excuse to f**k you up. The feds love that. Because the more they habituate people to rolling over and submitting to indecencies, the better trained and more subservient they become–because they hate our freedom.
Hmm…batteries, right?
Well…Think on this for a moment.
Have you ever thrown a 9Volt battery in a glass of water? try it once and see what happens. What you will see is that there will be a stream of bubbles coming off of each battery terminal. What are those bubbles? Well, one stream is Hydrogen and the other is oxygen. You see, the battery is breaking down the water to it’s base components (h2o).
Now, why is this important?
Well, do you know what brought down the Hindenberg? Right, hydrogen.
What’s coming out of that battery? Right Hydrogen!
So…I wonder what would happen if you threw a few dozen 9 volt batteries in the toilet of an airplane? Would they generate enough hydrogen to blow up the plane?
Given this, shouldn’t ALL batteries be restricted?
Ed
@Ed Not in a million years could you generate enough hydrogen that way to do anything. Before you start talking about the sky falling maybe you should take some Jr high chemistry.
Oh Good Grief! What next? Coke and Mentos?
Oh Good Grief. What’s next? No Mentos in your carryon because you might put them in a coke on the plane?
What will happen to all the batteries confiscated under this new rule. Will they be donated to worthy causes, will the TSA staff get to keep them themselves, or will they just be disposed of in the waste?
If a battery explodes after being disposed of, will the TSA be liable for damages?
I agree with your point that if these batteries are that serious a problem then why isn’t this order effective immediately. I don’t know if it’s true but I read somewhere that the TSA has never caught a terrorist since it was formed. I think that they wouldn’t be a deterrent to to terrorism, more a displacement onto more accessible targets.
As a professional photojournalist that travels around the world for my job, I have to always have a large variety of battery power for both my cameras and laptop since I wind up in many situations where I might not have power for several days…so how the hell am I supposed to deal with this?
And what the hell sense does it make that you can have batteries IN YOUR DEVICE in your checked luggage….All the reports of exploding Li-on batteries that I have read say it happened while someone had their computer on or it was being charged. So wouldn’t it be MORE likely to explode if it is conducting ions than sitting outside a device?
Ugh; my rechargeables are Ni-MH, but do I want to gamble that the mouth breathers at TSA will know the difference? Or care?
Okay, so now what? Don’t carry cameras anymore because they have those batteriies? Will we be relegated to disposable cameras or will they ban those too?
After having studied the issue, I observe that batteries, knives, water, and bullets are completely harmless unless they are accompanied by a human.
So I anticipate that effective 1 June the TSA will be banning all humans from boarding. …and then claim they are 100% effective against terrorism.
Since they’ve said they cannot suppress the fire for “non-rechargeable” batteries, why are they limiting the rechargeable ones? Is there a misprint somewhere or do they also mean they cannot suppress fire in rechargeable batteries either?
LiIon batteries can overheat when charging. I have [bold]never[/bold] heard of a battery overheating when it is not charging. If it is not installed in a device, it can not be charging.
To the comment above about splitting H2O into H2 and O2; this only will happen when the battery is submerged. If your checked baggage is underwater, then a little hydrogen produced by a battery in checked baggaqe is not a major concern. Treading water might be a concern, but first you need to get out of the submerged aircraft. This time of year, the water temperature might be concern.
The lithium battery problem has been known and discussed in technical papers by FAA and others for some time. The problem with fire suppression does not really apply to individual small batteries (like AA’s), although they can be incendiary devices, as has been seen in some recent unintentional incidents. Note that the TSA notice spoke of “shipments” of lithium batteries. The concerns in the papers I have read are indeed about quantities of batteries packed together being very difficult to contain if burning. Quite a stretch to the typical business traveler’s compliment of cells!
By the way, the reason for the plastic bag is to prevent the “plus” and “minus” ends of the batteries from being connected inadvertently - a necessary precondition for a fire. This could happen in one’s pocket with spare change, money clip, etc.
Regarding hydrogen production - did you ever consider how much highly explosive methane is produced by a couple of hundred passengers? Don’t loose sleep…
LB
I believe that our govenment many times has ulterior motives for the things that they do. I’ve noticed that changes in carry-on rules along with increased terror threats and new messages from Osama Bin Laden always occur around major holiday periods. To me, this is just the government’s way of keeping us terrified and more likely to support giving up our civil liberties to keep us “safe” from terrorists.
Liz, I agree with you…The TSA employees aren’t always the brightest…I suggest that you go to their website and print out the rules and put them in your carry on just before you travel. The rules change often. I am a underwater photographer and carry at least 30 2500 nimh batteries. When I was in Egypt last year they made us take all batteries out of our cameras, ipods and anything else that used them and made us either put them in my checked luggage or throw them away. Of course my luggage had just gone on the conveyor when they gave me the option…My batteries are about $10 ea. so, I found another passenger to put them in their luggage and got them back when we arrived in London. ug
On another note:
I always print the latest rules and recently read that I don’t have to take my shoes off anymore because, I wear orthotics. Mine however are prescibed by a podiatrist and are not made of gel. I would’nt have known but there was a rule change. On my recent flight I informed the TSA agent about my condition and I got to keep my shoes on. They do however, take the gel soles away from everyone. But, if you told them you had orthotics on they probably won’t challenge you…but, be prepared to lose the gel soles if they do take a look. You can try to argue the point but, winning is tough. Happy Traveling!
I agree with Jim J on 12/30–logic never seems to be the ultimate criteria; but perpetuation of fear is obviously the bottom line.
There is a good reason for this. A fed ex or a UPS plane caught fire and burned to the ground in the last few years because of Lithium batteries. At 100 million for a plane alone the insurance company should require that these items never get on a plane. There are many items you cannot ship on a plane with these carriers because of the dangers. Many of those complaining here might be on the other side when a plane does go down. ” Well the govt. knew there were dangers but did nothing” SUE SUE SUE.
Do you really need some spare batteries folks on the airplane?