Airlines Impose New Restrictions on Batteries

Tue Jan 1, 2008 12:01AM EST

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I'm back! Did ya miss me? Hey, thanks. Let's start off your '08 with some good old-fashioned news about air travel, a big mess of new rules that are sure to confuse and entertain you all year. This time, the FAA has taken aim at lithium batteries, a response to the bevy of exploding laptops that menaced offices and airports alike over the last two years (one of which occured at LAX).

The new rules are confusing and extensive (and are being reported incorrectly in numerous mainstream publications), so I'll try to boil it down for you here, accurately. Hit the link at the end of the story for the entire text of the new rules straight from the horse's mouth. The rules took effect on Jan. 1, 2008.

  • Installed batteries (already in your phone, laptop, camera, etc.) and spare batteries (carried loose) are treated differently. Only lithium-based batteries are concerned here, not nickel-based rechargeables or alkaline batteries.
  • You can't pack spare batteries in checked baggage...but you may check equipment with batteries installed.
  • In your carry-on baggage, you can take as many batteries along as you want (installed or spare), as long as they contain less than 8 grams of lithium content each. How do you know how much lithium is in a battery? An 8-gram battery equals about 100 watt-hours of power. Now, your battery won't say how many watt-hours it provides, but it's easy to do the math. Look on the bottom and you'll find a voltage rating and a mAh (milliamp-hours) rating. Multiply these two together and divide by 1,000. That's your watt-hours. In the (big) battery I'm looking at as an example, it offers 11.1 volts and 7,800 mAh. Multiply and divide by 1,000 and you get 86.58 watt-hours, acceptable under the new rules.
  • Now, you can also bring two spare batteries that break the above rule. These two batteries can have a total lithium content of 25 grams, or about 300 watt-hours. Where might you find such a giant battery? Namely in those third-party laptop battery slabs designed to give you a full day of computing. A product like this Electrovaya PowerPad 300 would just barely make it... but would probably earn you a delay at security.
  • These rules mainly concern lithium-ion batteries. Lithium metal batteries (which are comparably rare) have more stringent rules. Check the link for full details if you use lithium metal batteries, but since lithium metal batteries are usually quite small, there's not that much cause for concern.

Whew! Bottom line: Most travelers are fine as they are now, especially if they don't bring along spare batteries. If you do carry spares, take a look at the FAA's safety tips, which advise placing spare cells in a plastic bag to prevent short circuits. Just make sure those spares aren't too big, and only carry two.

LINK: FAA Battery Rules 2008

Comments on Airlines Impose New Restrictions on Batteries

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  • 46 Posted by aalathro@sbcglobal.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 2:43PM EDT Report Abuse

    Yay! More Security Teater! Everyone, before you get on the airplane... take off your left shoe! Hop around in circles! Throw away your batteries and nail clippers! Now, sing along with me... We're all safe and happy! We're all safe and happy! We're all safe and happy! You may now board your flight. These futile charades have nothing to do with making us safe. They are all about letting the authorities pretend that they're making us safe. What will the come up with next?

  • 47 Posted by hexxuss on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:18PM EDT Report Abuse

    Quote "Soon, we'll have to strip down naked in order to fly. " They're already testing a walk-through "metal detector" that sees through your clothes... Guess they had the same thoughts you did. I'm so glad I like driving...

  • 48 Posted by cbryanfoltz on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:20PM EDT Report Abuse

    Lithium batteries are NOT uncommon. They're used in many cameras and flashlights (not to mention hearing aids). If you use a CR123A-based device, you're using lithium. If you use energizer's lithium AA or AAA batteries, guess what? Most people reporting this seem confused about the difference between lithium and lithium-ion. You need to be more precise in spots.

  • 49 Posted by josephjfink on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:41PM EDT Report Abuse

    I understand the reason why the new restrictions are in place BUT I can imagine that the TSA will be able to apply this correctly or in the same manner across all airports! Thank God I do not carry spare batteries!

  • 50 Posted by kdinyari on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:48PM EDT Report Abuse

    So, does this mean that for everyone with a laptop the security agents will be making multipication on a calculator to figure out whether they qualify? What if the battery is missing one or more of the spec numbers?

  • 51 Posted by pantherdung on Thu Sep 3, 2009 7:59PM EDT Report Abuse

    "Well, do you expect TSA goons to know how to calculate and determine which battery contain less than 8 grams of lithium? Most of them are not even capable to be hired as McD employees." Trained apes could do a better job.

  • 52 Posted by dlsx_us on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:45PM EDT Report Abuse

    This is just like the government and their idiotic way of doing things. Instead of forcing the manufacturers of the battery products to improve quality and safety they penalize the consumer because the FAA is to afraid of corporate lobbists.

  • 53 Posted by haikumail on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:15PM EDT Report Abuse

    When are we, the traveling public ever going to react to such idiocy? Batteries WILL explode, babies WILL eat the marbles and oil paint IS a fire hazard, BUT, turning these observations into an enculturated dysfunction simply demeans us and puts us under the fickle sway of government types. Those of us with military experience are especially aware of the stupidity potential of the US government.

  • 54 Posted by bjgw2002 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:08PM EDT Report Abuse

    Why don't they just tell everyone dress naked, when you arrived to your destination to buy everything you need. What a JOKE, for those who check there bags, they would need to carry a SPECIAL BAG for spare batteries. WHERE IS MY PARACHUTE THEN..... IN A PLANE!

  • 55 Posted by serwan_m2000 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:14PM EDT Report Abuse

    Six month ago I reterned back from Erbil-Kurdistan Iraq, to Amman Jordan. The security man did not let me to take my rechargeable battery(typ.2500mAh) for my Sony camera in to Iraqi airline . Please inform all Airports they have knowlege of this information, especially to the Middle East countries. With our Thanks.

  • 56 Posted by guychism on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:14PM EDT Report Abuse

    This is all fine by me. The airlines are making it so difficult and complicated to fly that I do not fly unless its short range and everything can fit in my carry on. The glamour of flight is gone. Im a RR fan at heart and this only serves to spur on the rebirth and growth of the RR services and interest. It wasn't all that long ago that we actually planned travel and therefore a train ride was not inconvenient. Don't get me wrong, air travel is great and totally unsurpassable when the need arises but with a little planning, one can take a trip in this great country of ours and see so much and travel without feeling so personally invaded by traveling via rail. As Queen Elizabeth said in her 2007 Christmas Message, part of getting older is recognizing and being sensitive to change and understanding it. While flying is far from being an elitist activity, riding the rails can be so much more peaceful and you can actually work and get things done before you arrive at your destination. Happy New Year everyone!!

  • 58 Posted by schroednic on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:08PM EDT Report Abuse

    YO "Working Guy"....2 things. 1.) We didn't miss ya. Who are you? 2.) Don't go out make the battery math harder than it is. For your example, just knock off the two zeros in the milliamps because milli MEANS a thousand (Hello). So then for simple math multiple 11.1 X 78 you get low and behold 86.58 watt-hours. Thanks.

  • 59 Posted by schroednic on Thu Sep 3, 2009 9:08PM EDT Report Abuse

    YO "Working Guy"....2 things. 1.) We didn't miss ya. Who are you? 2.) Don't go out make the battery math harder than it is. For your example, just knock off the two zeros in the milliamps because milli MEANS a thousand (Hello). So then for simple math multiple 11.1 X 78 you get low and behold 86.58 watt-hours. Thanks.

  • 60 Posted by griffithjmalone on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:13PM EDT Report Abuse

    Knew this was coming since there are NATO as well as FCC regs on lithiums now. Gonna be hard to take a bottle of water onto a plane soon.

  • 61 Posted by rgforester on Thu Sep 3, 2009 8:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    Now I know why my teachers always insisted I learn how to do math. Finally - real world application.

  • 62 Posted by vze3xmvu@verizon.net on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:38PM EDT Report Abuse

    "In your carry-on baggage, you can take as many batteries along as you want (installed or spare), as long as they contain less than 8 grams of lithium content each." That phrase is irrelevant from the actual FAA Standards. There is a limit of 2 lithium-ion batteries per passenger in carry-on baggage to be placed in separate quart size plastic bags. The limit on milliamps (watt-hours) according to several airlines e.g. Continental, United, US Airways, Delta, Southwest and others are in place. If you plan to bring a lithium battery onboard an airline, make sure that it is not a battery extended battery life.

  • 63 Posted by kathy_g_813 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 4:47PM EDT Report Abuse

    Let's not overreact . . . this is an additional regulation to add these batteries to the other unsafe items not allowed on planes. It was not in response to a threat to homeland security. What WILL happen, though is long, long lines at certain airport screening areas where none of the security personnel speak English, much less the ability to perform complicated mathemical calculations. PUUULLLEEEASSE !

  • 64 Posted by vdiedrich856 on Thu Sep 3, 2009 10:32PM EDT Report Abuse

    im so confuced, you canty check them but you can carry them on?!?!??!!?!??! if thats the case thats kinda dumb!!!!!

  • 65 Posted by being_secret on Thu Sep 3, 2009 3:04PM EDT Report Abuse

    they are ----- s the passagers shoud tell them to go ----- them selfs

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