blam89

Hi all

I recently purchased an electric skateboard. I'm planning on bringing to back from NYC to Hong Kong next month. It just hit me that the Sealed Lead Acid battery it uses may not be allowed on board. My google-fu is returning mixed results, with some people saying its allowed and some people saying its not.

I will be flying Cathay Pacific. I called their customer service and they said that they allow it onboard as a CARRY-ON item. However the girl I spoke too didn't exactly sound very confident when she told me this, and combined with the fact most people online who say SLA batteries are allowed also say its only allowed as a CHECK-IN item.

So I'm looking for a definitive answer here: can I bring my 10Ah SLA battery equipped electric skateboard on the plane with me?

Sorry for the long winded post

Ocn Vw 1K

blam89, welcome to FlyerTalk!

As this is specific to Cathay Pacific, I'll move this thread to the forum specific to that airline's operations. Ocn Vw 1K, Moderator, TravelBuzz.

ual744777sta

Here is the link from the CX website.

CanucksHKG

Battery aside, I'm pretty sure an electric skateboard is above and beyond the size+weight you can carry onboard. You might want to start looking at alternatives or see if you can still get a refund from your retailer.

ACARS

According to the IATA dangerous goods regs which CX comply with the answer is no. It will not be permitted as carry-on. The approval of CX will be required to accept the battery as checked baggage so you should formally notify them now. The call centre staff are most likely not dangerous goods trained and therefore will give you duff info.

IanFromHKG

I think they "should" say no. The list of prohibited items says:
QUOTE
For safety and security reasons, dangerous goods such as those listed below, must not be carried in passenger's baggage (checked or unchecked):
...
corrosive materials such as mercury (which may be contained in thermometers or blood pressure gauges), acids, alkalis and wet cell batteries
UNQUOTE

Even though it is sealed, yours is still a wet-cell battery, containing a corrosive substance - acid.

Having said that, the rules also prohibit carriage of compressed gases, which didn't seem to faze CX some years ago when I asked if I could check in a small domestic freezer (and I specifically mentioned the compressed gas in the freezer) - the answer was yes, and they took it on board (as check-in) with no problems!

blam89

first of all thanks for all your replies! i really didn't expect many people to respond

CanucksHKG: size and weight is within CX limits, so i have no worries there.


Yes I saw that too and it seems like it would be classified as a wet acid battery.. but.....

Earlier tonight I called the HK Marco Polo, US Marco Polo and HK Diamond club hotlines and all of them have told me that SLA are ok to take on board as CHECK-IN luggage, but the people I spoke too don't exactly handle this sort of question everyday, and merely refer to their website guidelines (which dont specify whether SLAs are allowed)

Perhaps you/someone could point in the right direction for who exactly to call at CX to discuss this?

IanFromHKG

Call back, ask for written confirmation (which may not be forthcoming) and as a fallback ask for their names, make a detailed note of the conversation, and be prepared to argue your case at check-in. But don't volunteer information about it when you check in, just check it in, and if they start asking questions, only THEN do you raise the "I asked MPC and they said it was fine" discussion

Good luck!

blam89

Thanks! I think I'll do what you suggest IanfromHKG. However, I'm worried that if they inspect my check-in luggage and deem it to be unfit for commercial airlines, will they simply discard the skateboard/battery? or will they allow me to take it back?

peasant

?? Seriously ?? It is a potentially dangerous item and your advice is "don't ask, don't tell"?

kaka

hello?
stop being like the HK postal where they ....ed up and broke my bottles and blame me for not telling them. i've had cases abroad where they knew what it was before even i said a word. all these chineseness of these places are making HK a worse place that it was. thank you very much

IanFromHKG

No!!!

My advice was to get confirmation, and a written record. That presupposed that CX said it was ok - which was made abundantly clear later in my post where I said "if they start asking questions, only THEN do you raise the "I asked MPC and they said it was fine"". And frankly, I think CX are the appropriate people to make a determination in this instance. Not me. Not you.

My following suggestion was merely that the OP should not give an invitation to the check-in staff to re-open the debate.

Please read posts more carefully next time.

mayodave

^^^^

ricktoronto

Sealed lead acid batteries are not exactly rare and they're cheap. Leave it behind and just buy one when you get home.

deadinabsentia

Don't ask , don't tell^

You're only making trouble with the 'cannot' crowd.
Make like NIKE.. just do it.