Batteries On Plane

[Stevie_Ire]

Can anyone help i have a friend in Florida at the moment who is bring home to brand new Inspire 2 Batteries bought from DJI i also bought to battery bags of there site as well. He is flying to Dublin i have told him to bring them on as carry on luggage an explain they are drone batteries Will there be any problems or can anyone advise of what to do

 

[Advexure]

Hi there @Stevie_Ire, your friend can carry as many TB50 batteries on board as they would like. The TB50 is a 97.58Wh battery which is under the 100Wh threshold for battery limitations. They must be carried on, cannot be put in checked luggage. He should put each in a Lipo Bag. When going through security it is usually best to pull them out and put them in their own bin and not send them through the screener inside a bag.

The below link on the FAA website also provides a bit more information and we recommend actually printing this out to travel with just in case TSA employees (in the US) are not clear on the lithium battery regulations.

https://www.faa.gov/about/office_or...fo/media/Airline_passengers_and_batteries.pdf

 

[Mark Taylor]

If they are brand new then keep them in the retail packaging as advised by IATA.

Put them in a bin on their own, still in the retail packaging when going through security. TSA may well swab them for explosives, but that is normal.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

If they are brand new then keep them in the retail packaging as advised by IATA.

Put them in a bin on their own, still in the retail packaging when going through security. TSA may well swab them for explosives, but that is normal.

Do not leave them in the new packaging if going international or you may end up paying duty fees on the retail cost for them. New items going through customs are subject to duties in some cases. Don't ask me how I know.

 

[Mark Taylor]

There is usually a value limit depending on which country and your nationality and of course what else you are carrying.

If it is a problem you can always drop the outer box, but the inner foam is still handy.

On the other hand customs staff are not stupid.

If they stop you and all you have with you are two new looking Inspire batteries and no inspire, you are going to have some explain8ng to do

 

[Sputnik]

I've been through this dozens of times both domestically and internationally. The bottom line is this: the airline has the ultimate say in what can or can not be brought on board their commercial aircraft, despite what TSA may allow. For example, according to TSA policy, batteries mounted on or in a device are allowed in checked bags, however, most airlines do not allow any Li-ion batteries in the cargo hold. This is further complicated by the current electronics ban on carrying any electronic items larger than a cell phone on board a flight from several countries into the US. (several countries in Europe are now also adopting this restriction) So therein lies the conundrum.... on certain flights, no electronics with batteries larger than a cell phone are allowed in the cabin of the plane, but Li-ion batteries are not allowed in checked bags by the airline. Ultimately, it's the airlines call since it's their plane. They want the Li-ion batteries in the cabin in the event there is an issue since flight attendants have been trained how to deal with a Li-ion battery in the event of a fire. With computers and tablets the airlines are allowing those items to be checked, but you risk the possibility of losing your Li-ion batteries for larger devices in checked bags if discovered by the airline. They just won't show up at your destination. So what to do? I carry on ALL Li-ion batteries as described above, and discharge them all to safe 'travel' levels (around 15-20% charge) The post above is correct that any batteries under 100mw hours are allowed on flights.... however, once again the airline has the ultimate say on how many batteries are allowed. Most do have restrictions on total Li-ion amount despite individual allowances. I tend to just emphasize that I know what the regulations are (no more than 100mw per battery) show them if asked what the Li-ion content of the batteries are, and then add that I've discharged them to 'safe' travel levels and show them on the LED readout. (they never seem to understand why this is advisable, but do seem impressed that I do it)

So far I've not had a problem. I do contact each airline ahead of my flight to get their policy if I've not flown that airline before. Get a copy of those rules if you can, and keep it on your phone. You would be surprised how often airline employees are not up to date on their own policies. You will find that almost always, their regulations are quite different than the TSA. Just to make things even more complicated, new electronic restrictions have just been implemented just this week by the TSA, and will generate much more scrutiny of electronics and especially Li-ion batteries brought aboard ALL flights both within and without the continental US. Know the TSA rules, and be prepared to show them (keep them in a document on your phone) if questioned in security.

Sadly, these are the times we live in. Given recent revelations about terroristic activities, it's understandable. Don't argue with TSA or the airline, just be as prepared as you can on both sets of regulations and be prepared to show them by whichever entity might be questioning your carryon. Domestically it will be TSA, and they aren't even aware of the individual airlines policies. Most of the time they don't even pay attention to which airline you are flying. Internationally, you may get much higher levels of multiple screenings, and most of these secondary screenings are often done at the gate by the airline itself. So be ready with their particular policies, because getting stuck just before boarding is not a good place to be!

Finally, if you do a lot of flying, get enrolled in the Trusted Traveler program. (Global Entry and Pre-Check) A lot of the time that helps at least show it's not your first rodeo, and sometimes it can even reduce the level of screenings if they realize you've been 'pre-screened'. This doesn't happen as often as it should, and I hope that changes soon because it's a waste of everyone's time to have someone go through every item in your carryon when you are already a Trusted Traveler.
Be safe and be informed!

 

[Advexure]

I've been through this dozens of times both domestically and internationally. The bottom line is this: the airline has the ultimate say in what can or can not be brought on board their commercial aircraft, despite what TSA may allow. For example, according to TSA policy, batteries mounted on or in a device are allowed in checked bags, however, most airlines do not allow any Li-ion batteries in the cargo hold. This is further complicated by the current electronics ban on carrying any electronic items larger than a cell phone on board a flight from several countries into the US. (several countries in Europe are now also adopting this restriction) So therein lies the conundrum.... on certain flights, no electronics with batteries larger than a cell phone are allowed in the cabin of the plane, but Li-ion batteries are not allowed in checked bags by the airline. Ultimately, it's the airlines call since it's their plane. They want the Li-ion batteries in the cabin in the event there is an issue since flight attendants have been trained how to deal with a Li-ion battery in the event of a fire. With computers and tablets the airlines are allowing those items to be checked, but you risk the possibility of losing your Li-ion batteries for larger devices in checked bags if discovered by the airline. They just won't show up at your destination. So what to do? I carry on ALL Li-ion batteries as described above, and discharge them all to safe 'travel' levels (around 15-20% charge) The post above is correct that any batteries under 100mw hours are allowed on flights.... however, once again the airline has the ultimate say on how many batteries are allowed. Most do have restrictions on total Li-ion amount despite individual allowances. I tend to just emphasize that I know what the regulations are (no more than 100mw per battery) show them if asked what the Li-ion content of the batteries are, and then add that I've discharged them to 'safe' travel levels and show them on the LED readout. (they never seem to understand why this is advisable, but do seem impressed that I do it)

So far I've not had a problem. I do contact each airline ahead of my flight to get their policy if I've not flown that airline before. Get a copy of those rules if you can, and keep it on your phone. You would be surprised how often airline employees are not up to date on their own policies. You will find that almost always, their regulations are quite different than the TSA. Just to make things even more complicated, new electronic restrictions have just been implemented just this week by the TSA, and will generate much more scrutiny of electronics and especially Li-ion batteries brought aboard ALL flights both within and without the continental US. Know the TSA rules, and be prepared to show them (keep them in a document on your phone) if questioned in security.

Sadly, these are the times we live in. Given recent revelations about terroristic activities, it's understandable. Don't argue with TSA or the airline, just be as prepared as you can on both sets of regulations and be prepared to show them by whichever entity might be questioning your carryon. Domestically it will be TSA, and they aren't even aware of the individual airlines policies. Most of the time they don't even pay attention to which airline you are flying. Internationally, you may get much higher levels of multiple screenings, and most of these secondary screenings are often done at the gate by the airline itself. So be ready with their particular policies, because getting stuck just before boarding is not a good place to be!

Finally, if you do a lot of flying, get enrolled in the Trusted Traveler program. (Global Entry and Pre-Check) A lot of the time that helps at least show it's not your first rodeo, and sometimes it can even reduce the level of screenings if they realize you've been 'pre-screened'. This doesn't happen as often as it should, and I hope that changes soon because it's a waste of everyone's time to have someone go through every item in your carryon when you are already a Trusted Traveler.
Be safe and be informed!

Great information, @Sputnik. Thank you very much for the additional insight.

 

[LuvMyTJ]

I will be finding out next week if things have changed since the rules were updated recently.
I am a pre-check flyer so maybe it won't be much different.

 

[Sputnik]

I will be finding out next week if things have changed since the rules were updated recently.
I am a pre-check flyer so maybe it won't be much different.

Don't count on it. Last time I flew (about two weeks ago) despite having Pre Check, Global Entry, and Clear, my gear triggered secondary screening. I had a polite conversation with the TSA agent about how it was a waste of time for trusted traveler frequent flyers.... both my time and hers. She agreed, but had to adhere to the current policy. That was before the new policy went into place. However, I did read in the AP story about the new policy that (hopefully) this time the TSA is taking pre-screened passengers into consideration. Time will tell.....