Jetting off soon for summer travels? If you're planning on bringing an extra battery charger for your phone or other devices, be aware of the latest rules when taking one on a flight.
Rechargeable lithium-ion portable battery chargers, also known as power banks, come in protective enclosures of various shapes and sizes. They're a handy and popular way for getting more juice when you're on the move.
But after a spate of smoke or fire incidents, U.S. and international aviation authorities have issued new guidelines and airlines have tightened up rules for passengers.
Here's a guide on flying with power banks.
The most important thing to know is that you can't pack lithium battery chargers in your checked luggage. They need to go in your carry-on luggage.
Travelers can generally bring two lithium ion power banks with a capacity of 100 watt hours without needing airline approval. That's more than enough to charge a cellphone several times over.
For non-rechargeable lithium metal batteries, the limit is two grams of lithium per battery. AA and AAA batteries typically contain less than a gram of lithium.
Those limits cover nearly all types of lithium batteries in an average person's electronic devices, according to the the Federal Aviation Authority.
The FAA says newer lithium ion batteries should have a label with the watt hour, or Wh, rating. But if your power bank's energy capacity is listed in milliampere hours, or mAH, you'll need to do some math, or use the FAA's online calculator.
To figure out your battery’s watt-hour rating, take the mAH number, divide it by 1,000 to get ampere hours, and then multiply by the device’s voltage, which is usually 3.7 volts. For example, a battery with 10,000 milliampere hour rating is equal to 10 ampere hours. Multiply that by 3.7 volts and you get 37 watt hours.
Passengers will need airline approval for bigger lithium-ion batteries, with a capacity of 100 to 160 watt hours, such as those used in professional video gear or medical equipment.
Airlines are taking the risk of lithium battery fires seriously after a rash of incidents.
One of the worst happened in January 2025 when a fire broke out on an Air Busan plane waiting to take off from an airport in South Korea, forcing the evacuation of all 176 people aboard.
The FAA lists nine lithium battery air incidents so far this year, including six that involved power banks.
Concerns about the batteries have been enough to disrupt flights even when there were no signs of a problem. Last month, an Easyjet flight from Egypt to Britain diverted to Rome as a precaution after a passenger told the crew that they had a power bank in checked luggage charging a device.
Lithium batteries in a jet's cargo hold pose a danger because if there's smoke or fire, the crew can’t take immediate action to identify and extinguish it, according to the International Air Transport Association, or IATA.
Keeping them in the cabin makes it easier for the crew to stop a potential blaze by using fire-resistant bags and insulated gloves to contain an overheating device.
There's a very low risk that a lithium ion battery will short-circuit and cause a fire, but if it does the hazard it creates is “very horrible," said Paul Christensen, a professor of pure and applied electrochemistry at the University of Newcastle in the United Kingdom.
Lithium batteries can store ”a huge amount of energy in a very small space,” Christensen said. The risk comes when a battery is crushed, overcharged or overheated. That can trigger what’s called “thermal runaway,” a chemical reaction that produces heat and toxic gases, he said.
Christensen recommends checking your power bank for any signs of damage. If it’s bulging or getting very hot when charging, those could be signs it has a problem.
He also advises avoiding cheap power banks from unknown manufacturers, which might not have proper quality controls to prevent defects or contamination. Shoddy lithium batteries can “produce thermal runaway a long time after they’ve been purchased,” he said.
Once you're on board, airlines have strict rules on handling power banks in the passenger cabin.
You can't put it in the overhead bin. Instead you'll have to keep it somewhere you can get it to quickly, such as in the seatback pocket or under the seat in front of you.
Don’t use it to charge other devices during flight, and don't recharge it using the aircraft’s on-board power sockets.
If a battery — or battery-powered device — slips down the side of your seat, don't move the seat to try to get it.
“Seats can crush or damage the battery, which could cause it to overheat or catch fire,” IATA says. Instead, call a cabin crew member because they're trained to retrieve devices safely.
The FAA says individual airlines and international rules could be more restrictive than U.S. regulations, so if in doubt, it’s best to check with your airline. Southwest Airlines, for example, said in April that it would limit passengers to one charger each.
Many carriers have a detailed list of rules for various battery types, including lithium-powered devices like laptops, tablets and e-cigarettes.
Is there a tech topic that you think needs explaining? Write to us at onetechtip@ap.org with your suggestions for future editions of One Tech Tip.
A United Airlines passenger jet approaches Los Angeles International Airport in Los Angeles, Wednesday, May 20, 2026. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)
Weeks after the end of a historic term, Supreme Court Justices Elena Kagan and Amy Coney Barrett will make a rare appearance before Congress on Tuesday at 10 a.m. ET. The justices could face wide-ranging questions as the high court seeks millions of dollars to beef up security amid a rise in threats to the judiciary.
Down the street, U.S. President Donald Trump will welcome new Iraqi Prime Minister Ali al-Zaidi to the White House after strongly backing the political novice’s bid for office. Iraq has been under pressure to disarm Iran-backed militias that attacked U.S. bases and diplomatic facilities after the U.S. and Israel instigated the Iran war.
The U.S. launched more strikes on Iran early Tuesday, hours after Trump vowed to reinstate an American blockade of Iranian ports and charge ships 20% of their cargo for safe passage through the Strait of Hormuz. Iran responded with more attacks on Middle East allies, leaving the ceasefire deal in tatters and under the threat of all-out war. The U.S. military said it will resume its naval blockade on Tuesday at 4 p.m. ET.
The Latest:
Reaction has been swift and severe to the issue of subpoenas to five New York Times journalists who reported on security questions involving Trump’s new Qatari-gifted Air Force One.
“The subpoenas are an extraordinary escalation in President Trump’s efforts to threaten and intimidate independent news organizations and have a chilling effect on the work of journalists across the country,” said Jodie Ginsberg, CEO of the Committee to Protect Journalists.
The White House Correspondents Association holds its rescheduled dinner celebrating the First Amendment in less than two weeks, with Trump planning to attend. The first was scuttled when a shooter opened fire in what prosecutors say was an attempt to kill the president.
“The WHCA condemns any act of intimidation against journalists, including attempts to pressure them into revealing sources,” said a statement from the group’s president, Weijia Jiang.
▶ Read more
Security is central to the court’s budget request of $228 million — roughly 10% more than the last fiscal year.
Nearly $15 million of that would go to expanding personal protection for justices, with six more agents for each.
Another $2 million would fund more Supreme Court police officers and an off-site residential security post to speed emergency responses.
The U.S. Marshals Service reported 564 threats to the hundreds of federal judges around the country during the last fiscal year, and justices have not been immune: Barrett’s security detail had to defuse a fake 911 call at her house, and her sister was the victim of a bomb threat. A would-be assassin was arrested near the home of Justice Brett Kavanaugh.
Chief Justice John Roberts has condemned the threats, saying it’s “dangerous, and it’s got to stop.”
The White House will have reasons to rejoice in the June release consumer price index, as prices fell 0.4% on a monthly basis in large part because of tumbling oil prices tied to the now deteriorated ceasefire with Iran.
But prices still rose 3.5% over the past 12 months, well above the Federal Reserve’s inflation target of 2%.
And the monthly decline could be short-lived, with oil prices jumping again as fighting intensifies in the Middle East.
Prices for the global benchmark of brent crude oil have risen nearly 8% in the past five days of trading to about $81 a barrel on Tuesday, a sign that inflation could soon pick up again as the American public begins to focus on the November midterm elections.
The U.S. military’s Central Command said it struck several areas in Iran, targeting “coastal defense systems, missile and drone sites and maritime capabilities.” Iran acknowledged the strikes, but provided no immediate casualty or damage assessments.
“These strikes will continue imposing a heavy cost on Iranian forces and degrade their ability to attack innocent civilians and commercial shipping in the Strait of Hormuz,” the U.S. military said.
Moments after the military announced the new strikes, Trump called it “another major attack” and said the U.S. was “putting the blockade back.”
Iran responded with attacks targeting Bahrain, Jordan and three tankers that traveled through the strait.
U.S. Central Command said on social media that it “will enforce the blockade against vessels transiting to or from Iranian ports and coastal areas” beginning Tuesday at 4 p.m. EDT., and will “support traffic flow through regional waters for all vessels not violating the blockade.”
A notice to mariners released Monday by the U.S. military warned of using force if ships don’t comply. It also said the military will let through humanitarian shipments.
The statement follows Trump declaring that the U.S. would be reinstating the naval blockade and charging a 20% toll on eligible cargo.
“We’re protecting a very rich portion of the world,” Trump said. “We’re spending money. And so, what we’ve done is, we are going to be reimbursed for protection.”
Capt. Tim Hawkins, a spokesman for U.S. Central Command, would not say whether the military would be collecting tolls, and referred questions to the White House.
The president posted on social media that he would be “making a Speech to the Nation” at 9 p.m. EDT on Thursday.
Trump appeared to refer to himself in the third person in the post.
He did not disclose the details of his planned speech, but the announcement comes after Trump said he would block Iran-related ships from traveling through the Strait of Hormuz and that the U.S. would charge a 20% fee on all cargo going through the waterway.
Asked in an interview with Hugh Hewitt what his Thursday address will be about, Trump made it sound like nothing out of the ordinary.
“It’s just going to be a speech like a lot of my speeches,” he said, without offering any more detail.
This image from video released by U.S. Central Command, shows an explosion at Bandar Abbas Naval Base, Iran, as three Corsair unmanned surface vessels, also called one-way attack surface drones, fired by the U.S. military, hit the port July 12, 2026. (U.S. Central Command via AP)
FILE - Katie Mahoney, left, and Rev. Patrick Mahoney, chief strategy officer for Stanton Healthcare, an Idaho-based pregnancy center that does not provide abortions, read the text of a Supreme Court decision outside the Supreme Court, June 27, 2024, in Washington. (AP Photo/Mark Schiefelbein, File)
President Donald Trump holds a signed executive order modifying the Bears Ears National Monument in the Oval Office of the White House, Monday, July 13, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Julia Demaree Nikhinson)
