A British Airways flight had to make an emergency landing in October after a battery fire injured a passenger — and that's far from a one-off. The FAA logged 28 battery fire incidents on aircraft in early 2026 alone, putting the year on track to exceed last year's 97 incidents (up from 89 in 2024). Battery fires are nothing new, but the numbers are creeping up as we all travel with more gadgets.
The main troublemakers are lithium batteries — both the non-rechargeable lithium metal kind and the rechargeable lithium-ion type in almost everything you own. The FAA warns that all lithium-ion batteries can overheat and enter "thermal runaway": a self-sustaining chemical reaction that hits up to 1,500 degrees Fahrenheit within seconds, spits out toxic smoke and flames, and can be triggered by damage, overcharging, overheating or even a manufacturing defect. These fires resist standard extinguishers, and because aircraft recirculate cabin air, fumes linger long after the flames are out.
Which devices are the usual suspects? Phones, laptops, vapes and power banks top the list — a laptop fire injured three passengers on an American Airlines flight in 2024, and a power bank caused a similar emergency on a Virgin Australia flight in 2025. But lithium batteries also hide in earbuds, cameras, drones, gaming consoles, smartwatches, electric toothbrushes, hair tools and medical devices. Check the label for "Li," "Li-polymer" or a "CR" prefix on coin cells.
The packing rules are simpler than they look. Spare lithium batteries and power banks must go in your carry-on, never in checked luggage — and if your bag gets gate-checked, you have to take them out. Batteries already installed in a device can go in a checked bag, provided the device is fully powered off and protected from accidentally switching on. Size limits apply: 2 grams of lithium per non-rechargeable battery, or 100 watt-hours for rechargeables, which covers pretty much anything an ordinary traveller carries. Bigger batteries need airline approval. Note that some carriers go further — Southwest, for example, caps passengers at one power bank each, bans batteries in overhead bins and requires them to stay visible while in use.
Old-school dry batteries (AAs, 9-volts, button cells) can go in either bag, but terminals must be protected from short-circuiting — keep them in their original packaging, a battery case or a plastic bag, and don't leave rechargeables sitting in their charger.
Once you're in the air, a few habits matter: never charge power banks onboard, tell the crew immediately if a device slides into the seat gap, and flag anything that's overheating, swelling or smoking. If a battery is damaged or subject to a recall, leave it at home entirely.
Why should you care? Beyond the obvious safety angle, getting this wrong can mean serious fines — and a confiscated power bank at security is a surefire way to start a holiday badly. A minute of sorting your carry-on before you fly is all it takes. For more on the original reporting, see The Points Guy.
