THERE are plenty of travel gadgets on the market to make your trip simpler and more comfortable – one of these being a power bank.
They can come in handy if you need to keep your devices charged during a long flight, or during a layover and there aren’t any accessible power outlets.
But taking a power bank on the plane with you could cause more harm than good.
A new report out this week from UL Standards has warned of the risk lithium batteries can present to air travel.
Lithium batteries are found in any device with a rechargeable battery, such as power banks, headphones, phones and e-cigarettes.
Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) reported 77 incidents of ‘thermal runaway’ situations on aircraft. This was a 71 percent increase in incidents from 2019.
In the first half of this year, there have already been 37 reported incidents.
Thermal runaway situations are when lithium-ion batteries overheat and can result in dangerous electrical fires.
Of last year’s reported events, 16 percent involved power banks, while 35 percent involved e-cigarettes.
In around 60 percent of the cases, overheating happened near to the seat of the passenger who brought the rechargeable device onboard.
If such an event happens in the air, cabin crew are trained and equipped with special bags and tools to handle it.
But more than a quarter of passengers surveyed by UL Standards admitted to putting vapes, battery chargers and other devices with lithium batteries in their checked luggage.
Leaving lithium batteries in checked bags is against US federal rules.
In the UK, lithium batteries in checked baggage must be treated with care.
A device containing a lithium battery must be off – completely switched off, not in sleep or hibernation mode.
Lithium metal batteries must not exceed 0.3g of lithium, and lithium-ion batteries must not exceed 2.7Wh.
Spare batteries are not permitted in checked baggage and must be carried in the cabin.
Power banks are considered spare batteries and are not permitted in checked baggage.
Devices containing lithium batteries should be carried in carry-on baggage...
Devices that contain lithium-ion batteries include:
Devices that contain lithium metal batteries include:
A thermal runaway in a checked bag is much more difficult to detect and extinguish than one in the cabin.
You should check with your airline for their specific policies regarding lithium batteries before travelling.
