Travelling with Lithium-ion batteries
 

I read a lot about the introduction of restrictions with flying with Lithium batteries in early January and of some TSA screeners incorrectly confiscating batteries at some airports because they didn't understand the limit of two battery rule only applied to large batteries not the small ones used in digital still and video cameras, laptops etc.

I haven't read of any problems after the first week or two in January so hopefully the TSA screeners are now aware of the rules. We'll be travelling from Australia next month and in the U.S. and Canada will be flying Alaska Air SFO - SEA, SEA - YYJ, ANC - SCC, ANC - SEA connecting SEA - YVR and then YYC - SEA connecting to SEA - LAX, then LAX - SYD with QF. We'll be away six weeks and I carry 4 batteries for each of our video cameras and still cameras. This allows for batteries not lasting as long as normal in colder climates and not charging for a day or two with the cameras used by myself and my wife.

Has anyone had any problems with batteries since the introduction of the new rules in January? We can put some in my hand luggage and some in my wife's and I carry a camera bag and a laptop bag so can spread the batteries between all of the bags.

Thanks for any advice you can offer.
Koz

I just flew with a laptop with a pretty big battery and two batteries for a D80. Nobody said anything about it, US security x2, Chinese security x1.

After a handful of apparent near incidents and incidents in the days following the new rules (at least one FTer reported second-hand that TSA forced passengers to give up spare camera batteries), there has been anecdotal evidence that TSA has been told to back off on enforcing the Li-ion battery rules.

The justification was that it's not TSA's job to enforce FAA/DOT rules. That's fine with me in this case. I'm thankful that for once they realized the disaster they would have created before it materialized; passengers were not going to willingly surrender $100-$200 hard-to-replace batteries to power tripping screeners the same way they sheepishly surrender water bottles, and there's no way the average checkpoint was going to be able to comprehend the nuances of the rules. There were in fact early reports of checkpoints "simplifying" the rules to be "one spare battery is allowed."

That said, I am on all trips fully prepared to explain volts, amp-hours, and watt-hours to TSA supervisors and have added a copy of the rules to the TSA file I carry on every trip. The rules essentially say that almost all consumer level laptop/camera/phone batteries are completely unrestricted as to quantity. The only (consumer level) exception would be the giant "universal" external laptop batteries, which would be limited to one per pax.

I carry li-ion batteries on equipment and spares in plastic bags in a carry-on for just about every flight.

I've never been hassled over them, even when they do a bag check.

Thanks for your replies. It's re-assuring to know that it's unlikely that I'll have any problems. I will have each battery in a separate plastic bag as has been suggested.

I've read the above and the TSA pages about Lithium batteries, but I'm still confused.

If I understand, a "big" lithium battery, like in a camera or cell phone, can be carried on the plane in the camera or cell phone, right?

But what about small non-rechargeable AA Lithium batteries, like the Energizer E2 ones? Can these be carried onto the plane? Can they be put into checked luggage? In either case do they have to be in the original packages, or in special packaging, or can they be loose?

Camcorder and cell phone lithium-ion batteries are not "big". The ones they consider "big" are much larger, like the extended power packs for laptop computers. Any rechargeable Lithium battery can be checked if it is installed in the device. That is, if you are comfortable with checking the device in the first place. Otherwise carry it on, and carry on any spare batteries for these devices, preferably in a plastic box or some other container to prevent shorting of the contacts.

Lithium primary AA batteries can be checked only if they are installed in the device. Otherwise carry them on, preferably in original packaging. There is no "official" limit on the qty you can carry on of these. Believe me I tried to get a definitive answer from TSA and DOT and got nowhere. The official reply from TSA was: " no specific qty limits, it is up to the checkpoint staff to determine what is a safe amount." I have carried on 24 without even a blink at the checkpoints.

Avoid carrying batteries around "loose" to prevent shorting them, which will result in a lot of heat, or in the case of lithium, a small explosion.

Thanks for the reply, that seems clear.