FAA: Airline passengers shouldn’t pack extra batteries

According to CNBC, the Federal Aviation Administration sent a safety warning to airlines that says lithium batteries – the type of batteries commonly used in all sorts of consumer devices – “present a risk of both igniting and fueling fires in aircraft cargo/baggage compartments”.

Spare (uninstalled) lithium ion and lithium metal batteries must be carried in carry-on baggage only.

An FAA-produced video shows the disastrous effects of a lithium battery fire.

The safety alert issued Tuesday by the Federal Aviation Administration recommends that airlines tell passengers when they are being ticketed and checked in not to put lithium rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries in their bags, including those checked at gates. If they are found during a random search, the batteries may be removed, leaving you in quite a pickle. Recently, a US commercial plane had to make an emergency landing in Buffalo, New York when a credit card reader smoked inside the baggage bin.

The administration has previously said it will back a ban on shipping lithium batteries as cargo on passenger aircraft, due to the “immediate and urgent” risk of overheating batteries causing fire or explosion. They should also be kept away from other metal objects, and there are size and quantity restrictions as well.

Lithium ion batteries power just about everything you use for your underwater photography escapades.