Batteries and power banks on planes: the cabin-or-nothing rule

Guide · Batteries

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If you remember one sentence, make it this: any lithium battery that is not installed inside a device travels in the cabin, never in checked luggage. Power banks, spare batteries, loose cells, drone flight packs, and cordless styling tools — all of them. The rule exists because a lithium battery fire must be reached by human hands within seconds, and nobody can reach the cargo hold at 36,000 feet.

The two numbers that gate everything

Under 100 watt-hours (Wh): freely allowed in carry-on, in reasonable personal quantities. Nearly every phone power bank on the market lives here — a 10,000 mAh bank is 37 Wh, a 20,000 mAh bank is 74 Wh, and a 26,800 mAh bank is right at ~99.2 Wh. See full power bank capacity thresholds.
100–160 Wh: still cabin-only, but you need airline approval and a maximum of two spares. Big laptop bricks and pro camera batteries land in this band.
Over 160 Wh: banned from passenger aircraft entirely — this is e-bike and power-station territory.

Labels usually print mAh (milliamp-hours), not Wh. The conversion is Wh = mAh ÷ 1000 × volts, and the voltage is printed right next to the capacity — almost always 3.7 V for banks. Use the calculator below and you never have to guess at the check-in line.

Practical habits of travelers who never get stopped

Keep loose batteries in their retail packaging or tape the terminals — a short circuit against keys or coins is how fires start. Choose power banks with the capacity clearly printed on the case; some airports (notably in China) reject unlabeled banks at security. Drain spares to roughly half charge for storage, and if a battery is swollen, dented, or hot to the touch, do not fly with it at all — recycle it. Devices with batteries installed, like laptops and cameras, can legally go in either bag, but the cabin is where damage and theft don’t happen.

Will your power bank fly?

Enter the mAh rating printed on the label. We convert it to watt-hours and check the limit instantly.

Capacity (mAh)

mAh

ℹ️

Enter the mAh number from your battery label to see the verdict.

Assumes 3.7 V lithium-ion cells. Check your label for the exact voltage.

Open the full Battery Wh Calculator Read the battery rules guide

Open the full tool to check instantly. →

Priority Battery Items & Verdicts

Power Bank Batteries Drone Cordless Lithium Curling Iron Laptop Camera / Film Electric Toothbrush Smart Luggage (battery bags)

Sources: FAA Pack Safe · TSA · CATSA. Last verified 2026-07-30.

Battery travel FAQs

Why can’t power banks go in checked luggage?

Lithium batteries can enter thermal runaway — a self-heating fire. In the cabin, crew can reach and smother a smoking battery within seconds; in the cargo hold, a fire can burn undetected. That is why spare lithium batteries are cabin-only worldwide.

What is the 100 Wh limit in simple terms?

Watt-hours measure battery energy. Phone power banks (10,000–27,000 mAh at 3.7 V) are 37–100 Wh and fly freely in carry-on. Between 100 and 160 Wh — some laptop batteries, big camera packs — you need airline approval. Over 160 Wh is banned from passenger planes.

Do AA batteries count as lithium?

Only if they say lithium on them. Ordinary alkaline AA/AAA batteries can go in either bag. Rechargeable lithium spares and laptop batteries must ride in the cabin with terminals protected.

What about devices with batteries installed?

Installed batteries — laptops, phones, cameras — may travel in either bag on TSA/CATSA flights. Keep devices charged: international officers may ask you to power them on.