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miyuru 4 days ago

what about your mobile phone or laptop?

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omcnoe 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

Powerbanks are simply manufactured to lower standards, by companies that have no brand accountability.

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longislandguido 4 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Phone batteries are typically smaller (less energy which can be violently dissipated) than most power banks.

Naturally you will ask, what about tablets and laptops? They are prohibited from checked luggage for this reason. Power banks however are smaller and easier to conceal.

The risk is really in a fire developing in your bag down below in cargo, where no one can see it. By the time the fire alarms go off, it's too late and good luck if you are over water or the Arctic. If it happens upstairs they can at least tend to it with a fire extinguisher or bag/blanket.

See ValuJet Flight 592, fire in an airplane's cargo hold is probably one of the scariest ways to slowly die.

It's all about corralling risk. You can't tell people they can't bring their laptops. But power banks are unnecessary nice-to-haves.

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NocturnalWaffle 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

Laptops, at least in the US, are not banned in checked luggage[1]. The airlines may have different rules, but generally the airline is not the one inspecting your bag, TSA is.

[1] https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/...

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longislandguido 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

The policies are indeed confusing. FAA rules prohibit power banks and spare (uninstalled) batteries from checked baggage.

It's a bit of a grey area on jurisdiction because FAA cares about flight safety (fires) whilst TSA is primarily looking for terrorists.

United Airlines, however, prohibits laptops and tablets:

* Remove any lithium batteries from electronic devices stored in checked bags.

* If batteries cannot be removed, these devices must be stowed in cabin bags only.

* Store any spare batteries in cabin bags.

	▲	brigade 4 days ago \| parent [-]
		And that itself is a recent policy change from just in the last two months; as of January United's official policy [1] matched the FAA's in only requiring checked devices to be powered down [1] https://web.archive.org/web/20260129152627/https://www.unite...

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herewulf 3 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Ah, good. We're currently reliant on unpaid, probably-not-too-happy workers for fire safety. Sounds like a great time to stay off an airplane in the USA.

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drum55 4 days ago | parent | prev [-]

There are fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in the holds of aircraft.

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longislandguido 4 days ago | parent | next [-]

Halon apparently, which is ineffective against lithium battery fires.

I'd rather not test this theory because of your cavalier attitude while I'm in a chair 40,000 ft over the ocean.

	▲	herewulf 3 days ago \| parent [-]
		It's effective against the rest of the combustible material in the hold so ideally the fire remains contained to the battery.

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majorchord 4 days ago | parent | prev | next [-]

Li-ion fires do not require external oxygen, the cathode decomposes to release its own oxygen gas during thermal runaway... fire extinguishers will not stop it.

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petre 4 days ago | parent | prev [-]

Except you can't extingush a lithium cell fire because it has the oxydizer inside. Once you see one you'll understand. It's scary.