The vast majority of batteries for cameras, computers, and other devices are lithium ion, and the government has very strict regulations on how you can travel with them. If you are headed somewhere soon, check out this helpful video that breaks down what you need to know about traveling with such batteries safely so you can avoid any hassles at the airport.
Coming to you from Jay P Morgan with The Slanted Lens, this great video details how to travel with lithium ion batteries. As we start to see a light at the end of pandemic tunnel and air travel begins to pick up again, a lot of us will be itching to fly somewhere, which of course means bringing along a lot of batteries for our laptops, cameras, and more. As tempting as it might be to stow extra batteries in your checked baggage, it is incredibly important that you follow the regulations. Battery fires can be particularly violent, and fires in a plane's cargo hold are notoriously hard to fight. In fact, it was a lithium battery fire in the cargo hold that brought down UPS Flight 6 in 2010, killing both pilots. Check out the video above for a helpful breakdown of how to travel with your batteries from Morgan.
Or, if you don't have time to wade through a 13 minute video trying to pick out the salient bits, here are the FAA guidelines which you can read in under a minute...
Devices containing lithium metal batteries or lithium ion batteries, including – but not limited to – smartphones, tablets, cameras and laptops, should be kept in carry-on baggage. If these devices are packed in checked baggage, they should be turned completely off, protected from accidental activation and packed so they are protected from damage.
Spare (uninstalled) lithium metal batteries and lithium ion batteries, electronic cigarettes and vaping devices are prohibited in checked baggage. They must be carried with the passenger in carry-on baggage. Smoke and fire incidents involving lithium batteries can be mitigated by the cabin crew and passengers inside the aircraft cabin.
If carry-on baggage is checked at the gate or planeside, spare lithium batteries, electronic cigarettes, and vaping devices must be removed from the baggage and kept with the passenger in the aircraft cabin. Even in carry-on baggage, these items should be protected from damage, accidental activation and short circuits. Battery terminals should be protected by manufacturer’s packaging or covered with tape and placed in separate bags to prevent short circuits.
Damaged, defective or recalled lithium batteries must not be carried in carry-on or checked baggage if they are likely to be a safety concern by overheating or catching on fire.
When in doubt, leave it out.
Thank you for the overview - it contains lots of useful information.
I listened more than once about where to downlaod the Media Badge template and couldn't understand what he aid. anyone catch it?
Basically he tells you to make a fake badge with the information corresponding to your business card and your picture on it There are bunch of templates available for badges.
This video came in handy last month (this video re-uploaded for some reason). I flew recently and I was pretty anxious about all the batteries I brought. I taped the contacts with yellow electrical tape and placed them in a ziplock bag. All I was imagining in my head when going through the TSA checkpoint, "Sir, please follow me...". It actually went pretty smoothly.