✈️ Don’t Let Your Battery Ruin Your Flight: Tech Travel Tips for the Holidays

Frank Bravo 0:08
Welcome to Your Tech Makeover, the podcast that gives you tips and tricks to help you simplify and get more out of the technology in your life. I'm your host, Frank Bravo. Today's topic is one that could save your gadgets. Your seat makes eyebrows. Your holiday flights. That's battery safety in the air. We're talking about power banks and laptops, e-cigarettes, and the surprising rise of fires caused by rechargeable batteries on airplanes. Some of you may know that a few months ago, I started a new full time job where I'm doing way more air travel than I had previously. While on one of those trips, I got to thinking about this topic and whether you're headed home for Thanksgiving or jetting off to warmer weather in December. This episode will help you smartly fly and do it safer. So let's talk about the headlines that are grabbing stuff these days. Yes, batteries are catching fires on airplanes and way more often than you might think. In August 2025, a flight from Miami to New York had to make an emergency landing when a passengers carry on started smoking mid-air. The culprit? A power bank that was overheating and it triggered a small fire in the cabin. That same month, a flight out of Dallas had a similar scare. That was a vape pen where the battery went into what is called a thermal runaway, and it was overheating in the overhead bin. Thankfully, in both cases, the crew quickly handled the problem, but there was enough to turn a calm flight into an anxious one for just everybody on board. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, these kinds of incidents have increased 400% in the last decade, 400%. Just last year, in 2024, there were more than 60 confirmed events where lithium ion batteries caused smoke, fire or heat damage to commercial flights. That's more than one incident per week, and that's just in the United States. So no, it's not some rare fluke, but it's something that's becoming more and more regular on a regular basis. And with so many of us carrying smartphones and tablets, earbuds or backup chargers, it's not surprising. So what are the rules around traveling with batteries in these kind of devices? The rules are not there just to annoy you and me and to bug out TSA, but they're there to help prevent accidents like these happening. And yes, there are rules that make it easy to follow once you know them. So let's break it down. Rule number one is make sure you put your spare batteries, including your power banks, into your carry ons. They're not allowed in check luggage. Why? Well, because something happens during flight. A flight crew can't get into the check luggage area. Mid air. That's why the cabin is where you want them to be. In case it might overheat. Rule number two. There are limits on the battery sizes. But what does that actually mean? You often hear people say that the limits are described in what hours? Which sounds technical, but when you think about it, it's really not. So here's how you figure it out. Under 100 watt hours covers most portable devices. Your iPhone iPad earbuds most of the common portable chargers are under 100 watt hours, and they're totally fine to bring on with no extra steps. But again, remember you're bringing in your carry ons between 100 and 160. What hours are way more rare, but they may apply to some of the bigger laptop batteries or really big power banks, so you might want to fly with them still, but make sure you check with the airline to make sure that they are okay to fly with. If it's over 160, what hours? You can't bring it on to passenger planes, period. Those are really heavy duty camera batteries or industrial equipment. Here's a real world example of how you might think about how you will figure out the size you want to bring on board. So let's say your power bank says it's 20,000 mAh h at five volts. Those are a lot of numbers. So the way you figure it out is you multiply the numbers together 20 for the m, a h and five for the volts. And that gets you to 100 watt hours. That's right. On the threshold. It would be safe to fly with. And you don't need any special permission for that device. But if you're packing a massive battery meant to power a laptop and multiple times, then you might be over the limit. So make sure you do the math. A few other notes. As I said before, e-cigarettes and vapes must also go in your carry on, not in your check bags. This way there with you in case something goes awry. And most airlines have, or at least some of the airlines have special rules. So for instance, southwest now says that you have to keep your power blinks visible when they're in you. So don't plug in your phone into the charger and then put it in your bag. And Emirates banned power bank usage altogether on boards in October, and many other airlines are going that same way, so we'll see how that works out for them. A lot of those airlines, though, have power in the seats where you can plug into a quick shout out to listeners like you who helped make your tech makeover possible. Your support helps keep this podcast going and I truly appreciate it. Want to contribute? Just click the link in the show notes or visit your Tech makeover.com plus as a special thank you. Supporters who give $25 or more will give $25 off a one time consultation with me to help you simplify your tech. Thanks for being part of the Your Tech Makeover community. Now back to what I was saying. So why do these things catch fire? At the center of it is something called a thermal runaway. I mentioned this earlier, a scary sounding name for when the battery gets too hot, too fast and can't cool itself down. So here's a few reasons why you might get this to happen on your device. First off is physical damage. It's caused by dropping your device, squashing it in your bag, or having it rattle around loose in your suitcase. All of those things can damage the battery inside, even if the outside looks fine. Wear and tear is another reason that this may happen. If it's old or overused, it can cause them to degrade over time. You might see swelling or feel unusual heat. The one thing that I always look for is cheap gear. Now I'm always looking for inexpensive stuff, but cheap is different, and that's always a concern when you come to batteries. Not all chargers and power banks are created equally. Some off ground models, often the too good to be true deals don't meet safety standards. In fact, this year a popular bank sold by Home Depot was recalled after reports of it overheating and catching fire. And then finally, a tight space can cause an issue for these devices. Overhead bins, especially can trap heat. Combine that with a damaged or overworked battery and you have a recipe for an airborne scare. Now let's shift to some scary stories. Let's shift from the scary stories, I should say, to actionable stuff. Here's what you can do to protect yourself and everyone else on your flight. First off, pack smart. You always put your spare batteries, power banks, power banks, and anything else that has a lithium battery in your carry on and not your luggage. We've mentioned that before. It bears repeating. Know your battery size. I mentioned how you calculate that if you charge your phone 2 to 4 times, you're probably under 100 watt hours, and that's totally fine. If you charge your laptop or in your phone and it runs a mini fridge, double check the watt hours and just make sure that they are correct for the airline that you're flying on. And again, if it is on your device and you can calculate it, you calculate it by the march the milliamp hours divided by 1000 times the number of volts to get your what hours. You always want to make sure you use quality gear strict with a brand that you trust. Avoid any damage or swelling or exposed wires. If your charger looks like it's been through a war, then leave it at home and figure out a good way to recycle it. Keep them visible. You know this is something that we mentioned, but when I'm using when I'm not using it, I stash it in the front pocket of my bag, the if it's under my seat. So it's always with me and not in the overhead bin. And that way I know that it stays cool, doesn't get washed, and if I see something happen to it, I can easily access it. I never charge my items in the bag. I always do it while it's out so that if something does happen, I can see it. It keeps it out in the open, just like southwest recommends. You know, a lot of airlines are adding their own restrictions, so check with your airlines and your websites before you fly, especially traveling international. International travel has different rules than US travel. And then finally, like I mentioned, make sure before the fight you inspect your power banks and devices if they're swollen, cracked or unusually hot during charging. Leave them home, find a place to recycle them and you'll be totally safe. So here's the deal. Most of us carry at least a couple of lithium ion batteries with us all the time and when we fly. And that's totally normal. But with the increase of in-flight incidents, it's clear that we all need to get a little smarter about how we travel with them. You don't need to stop bringing your tech. Just be safe about it and check the what our labels pack with care. And trust me, your seat mate and your fellow travelers will thank you for it. So, have you checked your power banks that you travel with lately? And do they follow the rules? Let me know. And as always, if you have ideas for topics you'd like me to cover, please feel free to contact me via email at Frank at your Tech makeover.com. That's it for now. Thanks for listening to your tech makeover, if you haven't already. Don't forget to subscribe to this podcast on your favorite podcast platform so that you don't miss an episode. And if you have an extra second, go ahead and leave a review. I'd really appreciate it. You can also check out your tech makeover, where you'll find more information about each episode. And if you want to find out more about me, please visit Bravo. It's com. Until next time, I'm Frank Bravo, and this has been your tech makeover.