Batteries & air-travel

[flatfoot]

Has anyone had any issues when trying to travel with batteries?

It seems to be different for each airline and country.

I found the following pages with some useful information:

- http://safetravel.dot.gov/whats_new_batteries.html
- http://safetravel.dot.gov/how_to.html
- http://safetravel.dot.gov/larger_batt.html

Qantas have the following limitations:

Portable electronic devices containing lithium or lithium ion cells or batteries and Spare lithium or lithium ion cells or batteries

Spare Lithium ion batteries and cells with a Watt hour rating greater than 160Wh, are not permitted on an aircraft under any circumstances.
Spare lithium ion batteries and cells with a Watt hour rating of between 100Wh and 160Wh are limited to two batteries per passenger. Batteries must have terminals insulated or protected to prevent short circuit and must be carried in cabin baggage only. – Operator approval is required for these prior to travel.
Spare Lithium ion batteries and cells with a Watt hour rating or less than 100Wh have no limit to the number that can be carried, batteries must have terminals insulated or protected to prevent short circuit and must be carried in cabin baggage only
Spare Lithium metal or Lithium alloy batteries with a lithium content of less than 2 grams have no limit to the number that can be carried, however, batteries must have terminals insulated or protected to prevent short circuit and must be carried in cabin baggage only.
If batteries are installed in equipment such as laptop computers, camera, calculators etc – the above limits still apply, however they can be carried as checked baggage, provided the electronic device is protected from accidental activation.
Note: Conversion from Ah (Amp hours) to Wh is: Ah x Voltage = Wh.

Spare Batteries for Consumer Electronic Devices
All spare batteries for consumer electronic devices must be carried in carry-on baggage only. They must be individually protected to prevent short circuit using one of the following:
In original retail packaging;
Taping over exposed terminals;
Placing each battery in a separate plastic bag or protective pouch.

I was surprised that Singapore Airlines have no restrictions regarding batteries mentioned on their website.

[dancier]

I went to Bali a few week back for a ride around the island on the push bike and was ready to put the electronic stuff (chargers, cables and battteries etc) in checked baggage but they made special mention that batteries were to go into the cabin. On the return journey I put all the electronic stuff in the cabin and had no problems, I flew with Jetstar and the batteries were Nickel Metal Hydrate.

[Maelgwn]

Typical phone batteries are like 1Wh, so those batteries are pretty specialised uses. You will be fine unless you are carry a battery to power an electric vehicle!

[Rob A]

Stonkin great 9cell IBM/Lenovo batteries are 85WH. EOS1 batteries are only 26WH.
You would be in to pro video stuff for the larger batteries that would be checked in with the tonnes of kit wouldnt you?
Done Jetstar Emirates NewZealand Airasia Scoot and never been pulled up on plenty of spares. Havent worried about whether I pack cabin or hold.
Interested to hear whether Ive just been lucky?
Im tipping the ELC bares little resemblance to the pysical weight of the battery. For example the LP-E4 tips the scales at 180gm but the ELC is probably only in the order of 26/100 * 8, or apprx 2g Equivalent Lithium Content.

[South_Aussie_Hiker]

As an airline employee, thought I would shed some light on this.

Travelling with batteries up until the last few years has been a fairly simple exercise, with the exception of spillable batteries (lead acid, such as those found in electric wheelchairs etc.).

Things have changed in the last few years with batteries in aviation, for the following two main reasons:
1. Battery efficiencies have increased significantly to a point where small batteries (for example, from a cordless power drill) contain a LOT of energy
2. The advent of lithium battery technology, which can malfunction in a thermal runaway with spectacular results

Have a look at this video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vS6KA_Si-m8

An iPhone (which had probably been dropped/damaged previously) recently caused problems on an Australian domestic flight.

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2011-11-29/i ... re/3701250

While it was extinguished by crew, had it been in someone's checked baggage in the cargo hold (under tons of other people's flammable clothes), it might have been a different story. This is why they are moving towards carriage of certain size/chemisty batteries in the cabin being preferrable (because fires can be more quickly identified and easily extinguished).

There have also been two recent jet cargo-only aircraft crashes attributed to or suspected to be caused by lithium batteries.

As a result, the restrictions are being tightened to keep up with the changing technology.

The MINIMUM standards on carriage and consignment of baggage and freight (which obviously apply to bushwalkers) are governed internationally by the IATA DGR (Internationl Air Transport Authority, Dangerous Goods Regulations).

Quite often, the national governing authority (such as CASA in Australia) or the airlines themselves will self-impose more restrictive requirements than those from IATA - sometimes perhaps because of in-depth training and approval processes required to transport such goods, or unique operating environments (such as high temperature or high elevation operations), or to simply provide higher levels of safety over minimum standards.

How does this affect the average bushwalker?

Well, when you have something to carry:
1. Check out the IATA DGR for the general rules on what you can/can't take, and how to prepare/pack your goods for transport (ie washing out fuel containers)
2. Check with your airline. They may have more restrictive requirements than the minimum above.
3. Where special packing instructions are required (for example, washing out empty fuel containers), ask them to email you the instructions. This way, you can do it exactly by the letter - and by presenting a copy of the email at check-in, they know you have done your research and actually prepared the item properly. ANY doubt in the mind of the person at check-in that you are allowed to take something/have prepared it properly, will most probably result in immediate prohibition of carriage, even if it is okay.
4. Don't expect because airline A allowed you to take something, that airline B will. Different airlines have different regulatory approval levels, different dangerous goods standards, or perhaps even a complete blanket "No dangerous goods" policy.
5. Don't expect because airline A allowed you to take something last year, that they will allow the same thing this year. Airline standards and rules change faster than your jocks after getting home from an Arthur Traverse.

Hope this helps.