It can often be quite difficult to keep track of all the latest rules and regulations at airport security, especially since the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has made several high-profile changes in recent months. But before you board your next flight, there’s one important bit of information travelers should know.
Earlier this summer, the TSA instituted a pretty significant rule change, barring lithium and lithium-ion batteries in checked baggage. Now, all travelers will be required to carry their portable chargers or devices with lithium-based batteries in their carry-on luggage instead.
While most passengers understood that the new rule applied to items like cell phones, tablets, laptops, and power banks, there is one other common item that travelers might not think about.
Recent TSA Changes
- REAL ID-compliant identification is now required
- All passengers keep their shoes on when going through airport security
- TSA launches TSA PreCheck Touchless ID
- No lithium batteries in checked luggage
- TSA launches Families on the Fly program
TSA Bans Lithium Batteries in Checked Bags
Earlier this year, the TSA and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) announced that all lithium and lithium-ion batteries must be kept in carry-on luggage and can no longer be put in checked luggage.
This decision was because “all lithium-ion batteries are capable of overheating” and undergoing a process called thermal runaway, the agencies said in their announcement earlier this year.
“Thermal runaway can occur without warning as a result of various factors, including if the battery is damaged, overheated, exposed to water, overcharged, or improperly packed. Thermal runaway can also occur on its own due to manufacturing defects,” the FAA wrote in its announcement banning lithium batteries in checked luggage.
Passengers may still bring the items aboard the plane, but they must be in carry-on luggage. While the batteries could still overheat while on the flight, keeping lithium batteries in carry-on luggage would allow any overheated battery to be extinguished by the cabin crew.
“Spare (uninstalled) lithium ion and lithium metal batteries, including power banks and cell phone battery charging cases, must be carried in carry-on baggage only. When a carry-on bag is checked at the gate or at planeside, all spare lithium batteries and power banks must be removed from the bag and kept with the passenger in the aircraft cabin. The battery terminals must be protected from short circuit,” the FAA wrote.
This Includes Many Electric Toothbrushes
After instituting this change, the TSA has begun cracking down on power banks. However, there is another item the TSA is cracking down on that many travelers might not think about when it comes to lithium batteries: electric toothbrushes.
“Traveling with your electric toothbrush, or other items that buzz? If they have an installed lithium battery you should pack them in your carry-on bag. Any spare or uninstalled lithium batteries must be placed in a carry-on bag,” the TSA wrote in a recent Facebook post.
According to Consumer Reports, more than 40 percent of Americans use an electric toothbrush when they brush their teeth. While some of these electric toothbrushes use external batteries, research finds that 71 percent use rechargeable lithium or lithium-ion batteries.
If your electric toothbrush is rechargeable, it likely has a lithium-based battery, which means that you should bring it in your carry-on luggage next time you fly.
