Why you can’t check a power bank in your luggage

My friends were on a flight from Koh Samui to Hong Kong, after we’d just spent a wonderful time on one of my tours (you can read my recommendations for Koh Samui here), when they sent a message on the group chat saying they’d been diverted to Bangkok after someone’s power bank exploded on the plane!

It was apparently sitting in cabin luggage at the passenger’s feet, not being used, when it exploded and caught the carpet on fire. The passenger and the one next to him were burned. The cabin filled with smoke and they honestly thought their days were numbered.

It’s a timely reminder, and hence my updating of this post, that these battery cells, power banks and any device with a removeable chargeable battery, must be packed in your cabin luggage so if anything like this does happen, it can be quickly dealt with. Imagine if this device was in the cargo hold?!

When they ask you at the check-in counter if you have any batteries, etc in your luggage, make sure you don’t!

I’ve had two lithium battery power banks confiscated from my checked luggage over the years, so in a way I’m comforted that all bags are scanned and suspicious items removed. However I also know of others who say they’ve had theirs in checked luggage with no problem, which is scary to think about.

I contacted the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) for this post to check on what things are and are not allowed in checked luggage v cabin luggage. Here is a link to their full list of “what can I bring onboard?“

What can I put in my luggage?

On the CAA list I was interested to see that aerosols are allowed in both cabin and checked luggage. So don’t panic about your deodorant or bug spray in your toilet bag.

You can also take knitting needles in the cabin, as long as they have yarn with them. There is a disclaimer that different airlines might have differing rules – which you’d want to check out at the check-in counter before your luggage disappears, lest that jersey you’ve been working on for months also disappears!

However I have taken my own knitting on flights before, and I took the above photo on an American Airlines flight.

And you can only travel with lithium batteries sized up to 100 watt hours (Wh), without airline approval. Most power banks fall into this category, but some big ones will need approval. Here is Air New Zealand’s battery info page.

FYI battery hair straighteners (yes they’re a thing!) are banned from all luggage. .

Here is Air New Zealand’s prohibited items list (which I presume will apply to all airlines).

Read more: how NOT to lose your luggage! This post has some clever tips for making sure your luggage joins you on holiday.

Why can’t you pack a power bank in your luggage?

I like to know the reasons too, rather than just read another rule!

So the reason for not allowing lithium-ion batteries in the hold of the plane is because some are made of cathode and anode, or oxidiser and fuel, which has a (slim) chance of igniting/exploding.

If that happens in the hold, no one will know and the results would be catastrophic. If it happened in the cabin, the fire could be put out very quickly and likely not much damage will have occurred. The chances are slim of this happening (except for my friend!), but because it’s a risk, all batteries are covered by this blanket rule and as luggage is scanned before being loaded on to the plane, this is another reason why a TSA lock is important so they can remove the item without buggering up your padlock.

And here’s a tip: your device will charge much faster and you’ll get more charges out of your power bank the shorter the cable, and if you turn your phone off, or at least put it in flight mode.

Questions to CAA:

• Can electric toothbrushes be taken in checked-in luggage?

Batteries can only travel in checked luggage if they are contained in a device, like an electric toothbrush, that they provide power to.  Spare batteries and powerbanks (battery packs) cannot travel in your checked luggage – refer Travelling with batteries | aviation.govt.nz

• Are some battery packs possibly not safe, especially if purchased by markets etc?

Unfortunately, some battery packs (batteries and powerbanks) are not safe.  We recommend batteries be purchased from reputable retailers as they are more likely to comply with consumer protection legislation and UN standards.

Our deputy CEO recently spoke about this here: CAA deputy CEO talks lithium batteries on planes – NZ Herald