The airlines of the world are about to crack down on lithium batteries aboard aircraft, so if you regularly pack portable charging devices for your travels, you need to know what's coming.
So far in 2026, the Federal Aviation Administration has logged 58 incidents involving smoke, fire, or extreme heat from a lithium-based battery carried aboard commercial aircraft. On Aug. 21, a harrowing laptop fire reportedly burned up to five people on an American Airlines flight from Atlanta to Dallas.
Lithium battery fires are notoriously difficult to put out because their flames produce a chemical reaction that generates oxygen, feeding them further.
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration already bans lithium batteries from checked luggage, mandating that they be kept in flyers' carry-on bags only.
Airline industry surveys have discovered that about half of passengers aren't aware they can't pack the devices in checked bags, even as the airlines anxiously gallop ahead with more restrictions on in-flight use and the number of chargers you'll be allowed to have with you.
Now the International Air Transport Association (IATA), the trade group the airlines use to govern themselves, has issued new guidance that will restrict lithium batteries further, and the airlines are trying to get the word out about the upcoming additions.
Three new rules about power banks on planes
As of January 2027, nearly all airlines around the world will add three new restrictions to their lithium battery policies: Passengers may not recharge power banks on board, passengers may not use power banks to recharge other devices in flight, and passengers will be limited to two power banks, carried in the cabin.
Every airline determines its own rules beyond those, so you'll still want to check your carrier's advice about carrying dangerous goods before bringing your batteries to the airport.
Delta Air Lines and American Airlines have already changed their policies to match IATA's upcoming guidance for a two-battery limit. In American's case, those batteries may be no more powerful than 100Wh.
United Airlines also limits passengers to two lithium batteries if they are "larger than 100 watt hours but not exceeding 160 watt hours in your carry-on." Further, United requires flyers to keep those batteries within reach and never place them in the overhead bins.
In April, Southwest Airlines opted for an even stricter policy by limiting passengers to just one lithium battery per person, joining the one-power-bank limit set by Emirates.
And remember: Just because you stick to the airline's battery maximum in your carry-on doesn't mean you'll be allowed to plug in those batteries during your flight. A slew of big airlines, including Lufthansa, Swiss International Airlines, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings, already prohibit the usage of lithium power banks while you're on board.
By January 2027, all major airlines will join them, if they follow the new IATA guidance.
People who travel with extra power banks, such as photographers and videographers, are already preparing for how to contend with the incoming ban on their preferred sources of backup energy.
Preventing deadly battery fires
Where is the FAA in all this? After all, the agency has tracked more than 756 battery incidents since it began counting in 2006.
While the FAA does ban some battery types from checked luggage, according to Forbes, "the FAA neither limits the number of devices a passenger can bring on a flight nor does it implicitly ban portable chargers from being stored in overhead bins—two restrictions that are common around the world."
The airline industry has determined that's not good enough, and, as of 2027, carriers are taking the matter into their own hands and leaping ahead of the FAA's lagging safety rules.
How can travelers know if their batteries are headed for an incident?
IATA has posted an informational page that distinguishes between power banks and battery-powered devices.
Travelers United, a gold-standard consumer protection group for Americans, has some simple advice: Dispose of any battery with visible damage, and "if [your power bank] gets uncomfortably hot to your touch, it means that it’s headed for failure."
United's official advice is even more practical: "If you're unsure about the battery, don't pack it."
As more airlines crack down on the batteries they find in your luggage, that should be the new rule of thumb for travelers.