An airliner took an unscheduled stop, delaying travelers for a day after the crew learned that a passenger had a power bank in use in their checked luggage.
That happened in Europe, but take this as a reminder that FAA rules also forbid power banks and other spare lithium-ion batteries traveling in checked baggage on passenger aircraft. Don’t do it.
A cautionary tale about power banks in checked baggage
“A UK-bound EasyJet flight was diverted to Rome after a power bank was found to be charging in a passenger’s luggage,” reports the BBC. “The airline said the captain had decided to divert ‘in line with safety regulations’ after a passenger informed crew during the flight that the portable charger was in the hold of the aircraft.”
All the passengers had to spend the night on this unscheduled stopover while the power bank was removed from the hold of the plane.
Why you should never pack a power bank in your checked bag
Power banks rely on lithium batteries, which can overheat or even ignite if damaged or defective.
Airlines have become increasingly concerned after several battery-related incidents. For example, in South Korea, investigators said a fire aboard an Air Busan flight in 2025 may have started in an overhead compartment because of a lithium-ion power bank. The plane was destroyed and 27 people were injured.
And most people should remember the Samsung Galaxy Note 7, a smartphone prone to catching fire or exploding because of a battery defect.
The risk of fire is why most airlines and regulators require lithium batteries and power banks to remain in the cabin, where passengers and flight attendants can quickly respond if a device begins smoking or overheating. Fires in the cargo hold are much harder to detect and extinguish.
The FAA forbids spare batteries in airline holds
With the summer travel season already in full swing, anyone headed for the airport should know that the FAA says power banks and other spare lithium-ion batteries are not allowed in checked baggage on passenger aircraft. They must be kept in your carry-on bag or with you in the cabin.
Through a quirk in the rules, you are allowed to put your MacBook or iPad in your checked baggage. But it’s not recommended: both for the fire risk and because of the potential for the device to be stolen while your luggage is out of your control. If you must put your Mac in a checked bag, shut the computer down, not just put it to sleep.
But any spare battery or power bank not in a computer or other device must travel with you in the cabin of the plane, according to FAA rules.
And if you’re traveling to Asia, check your airline for additional rules. Some airlines impose additional restrictions beyond the FAA minimum rules, including limiting the number of power banks passengers may carry.
You do not want to be the cause of your flight being delayed. Keep your Mac, iPad, iPhone and your power bank with you, in your checked bag. There’s less risk of fire… and theft, too.
Ed Hardy has been writing full-time about tech for 25 years, and using it for much longer than that. His intro to Apple was a Macintosh SE/30 (which he still has), but now he uses a 13-inch iPad Pro as his primary computer.
That’s because he’s a “tablet first” type of guy. Rather than use a Macbook, he connects a keyboard case to the iPad. And instead of a desktop Mac, he connects his tablet to a 27-inch display and full-size keyboard. (So don’t try to tell him that everyone has to use a Mac to be productive.)
Before coming to Cult of Mac, Ed wrote for NotebookReview, TabletPCReview and Brighthand, as well as other sites.
