hungry

Thanks for that. BA should be embarrassed , even EasyJet have done whats needed have they not?

Thankfully I am going on a 3 night city break not a long trip so will try and last without my iPad. No way I am putting it in the hold, as I am assuming BA won't pay for a new one if its stolen or damaged?

I should have done more research before planning this trip. Before you booked it I think the BA website should come up with a warning making passengers aware.

Fruther I have discovered that my phone allowance isn't available to use in Turkey with 3 Feel at Home, and the roaming charges are horrendous! The only phone company to allow use of allowances in Turkey is Vodafone it seems. This doesn't bother me as much as the iPad business, in fact it might be nice to be able to totally switch off for a few days.

corporate-wage-slave

It's a policy / risk assessment outcome. See post 92.

If BA forces the item into the hold then my reading of the Montréal Convention is that it is covered. Ryanair has something in their terms and conditions which clearly implies that there is cover, provided the item is properly powered down and packaged against getting a heavy knock. You can also insure the item too. EE have a travel package which caps data usage at 500mb for £6 a day

flatlander

Are the restrictions still as listed at https://www.gov.uk/hand-luggage-rest...ectrical-items ?

I.e

• 16cm in length
• 9.3cm in width
• 1.5cm in depth (thickness)

such that a power bank that is 12cm x 7cm x 1cm (for example) would be allowed?

Also, are chargers for phones (wall-plug with USB socket, USB to phone cable) allowed?

With those, my phone might just about survive an LHR-IST-LHR back-to-back

(Documentation on this remains very unclear; BA's website doesn't have obvious links to Turkish special restructions, the UK Government website says ask your airline, so it's still a hugely customer-hostile mess)

corporate-wage-slave

What the security check agents have is a piece of clear perspex with two slots in it, like the UK post office. The important one is the bottom, smaller slot which is 1.5cm x 16 cm. This is tricky for power banks to get through, most are somewhat thicker. The top slot is presumably 9.3 cm x 16 cm though I haven't seen that used but theoretically the item needs to go through both slots.

I use a Polanfo Q5 which generally leads to a conversation that suggests it's not allowed. I then invite them to try the slot and the agents tend to be somewhat surprised it goes through, it's 1.3cm. In one case the agent wrote out the model number so he could get one for himself. The size of the USB plug is such that these pack are usually thicker so if your one is just 1cm thick then you should be ok. These restrictions apply to anything that is run off a PC/tablet/phone directly, such as power banks, disk drives and so on. Cables, headphones and wall socket plugs are ok. Phones are just given a visual check rather than put through the slot.

flatlander

OK, that's clear, thanks. I'm confident my power bank will pass that test.

Sneaky

Mine is a rather smaller Amazon Basics power back, which is no longer sold so I can't point to a specification page, but has a form factor very similar to that of a phone. It must use a flat Li-Polymer cell rather than the round Li cells used to build up most power packs, which is what makes most of them about 1.5cm (more or, in your case, less) thick.

hungry

corporate-wage-slave

The sizes were supposed to be set to allow all but the largest mobile phones, but smaller than the smallest Kindle or tablet. So yes, any iPad is intentionally excluded.

UAworldwide

Is it allowed to put a power bank (for example mophie) into your checked luggage?

corporate-wage-slave

Yes you can. This was quietly changed a few months ago. Commonsense would say to put in a plastic box or something to prevent it from getting wet.

Worcester

I would also recommend you put it in with the minimum amount of charge you can as with all electronic devices going to the hold.

gms

I thought that larger powerbanks / spare batteries were still totally banned in both hold and hand luggage? They are at least according to the Gov.uk website:
"You can’t take any spare batteries or portable power sources in your hand or hold luggage if they’re larger than these measurements and could be used with a phone, laptop, tablet or e-reader.".

corporate-wage-slave

Yes, that's a second point I should have mentioned (it wasn't the question posed). Originally power banks were banned altogether, then they were allowed in hand luggage if the right dimensions, and more recently they were allowed in checked luggage if the right dimension. If it's bigger than the dimensions it shouldn't travel at all, however my guess is that if it's slightly bigger than the dimensions then you'd probably be OK in checked luggage, you definitely won't get it into hand luggage.

gms

Indeed, I would guess they will only open a checked bag to inspect an item if it looks significantly bigger than regulation, or if the cables are positioned in such a way that it could be connected to another device. It was the reference to mophie devices that got me thinking, depending on the model, some of these are quite a bit thicker than the permitted dimensions. But it would still be annoying to have to dump a piece of kit, or arrive and find it has been removed from your luggage.

Jumbodriver

corporate-wage-slave

The problem you have on the ground here is this: When you get to T-24 for these flights you get a text alert and email from BA reminding you of the restrictions on the route and pointing directly to the same hyperlink shown above for GOV.UK. Travel agents are also told to tell their customers too. This alert does not say power banks in the hold are banned, it merely points to the hyperlink. At check-in there is an airport manager running around with the print out from GOV.UK and imploring people to not take laptops, tablets, Kindle through the system and therefore into checked luggage. The emphasis is on keeping laptops away from the departure gate. So people check ALL of their bags into the hold. You can write the rest of the script for yourself. Whether this is desirable or not I think we can assume there are hundreds of batteries and dozens (hundreds?) of powerbanks in the hold of your typical BEY, CAI, IST services. If a powerbank is found at the gate check in then it is disposed of there.