Lithium batteries on planes - Page 1
Forum section: electronics / general

author: akis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 01, 2016, 06:05:23 pm
content: I tried to get the rules for both BA and Easyjet regarding lithium batteries. BA has a brochure specifying what can go in the hold and what must be carried in the cabin and what is not allowed at all. Easyjet service desk people were completely useless. Somewhere I read maximum allowed was 2g of lithium but it did not specify per person, per family, per what...So we were boarding Easyjet and it was full and they could not take any more cabin luggage so they started to check people's cabin bags for size and made a few people send it in the hold (and pay for it). But there were still more people with cabin luggage that had to go in the hold, but many had laptops that were not allowed to go in the hold! Due to the lithium batteries. So passengers were asked to remove their laptops from their cabin bags and then send their bags in the hold. Except passengers rightly protested, how were they meant to carry their laptops in the cabin since the overhead lockers were packed full ? They would not be allowed to carry them on their lap !!!!It appears to me there is great uncertainty about lithium batteries and planes, and not even the airlines know what to do. I know for a fact you can carry big and heavy model plane lithiums in the hold and noone notices. Or even larger golf buggy ones. Because the hold suitcases are only screened for explosive devices I guess?

author: tatus1969
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 01, 2016, 06:59:41 pm
content: that has recently been changed, I heard rumors that some Segways caught fire in airplane's cargo holds. Lipos generally are very dangerous, you just have to wear them down too much and they can catch fire without even been used or charged. No current electronic protection prevents that from happening. Plus Chinese designers tend to be extremely lazy when it is about to implement safety rules.Used a BA flight just last weeks and we had a large USB power pack with us (120g Li). That went through security well, but we had to keep it with our hand luggage.

author: akis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 01, 2016, 07:52:23 pm
content: regarding your signature, of course, almost everything is a matter of perceptionhttp://www.britishairways.com/cms/global/pdfs/lithium_battery.pdfandhttp://phmsa.dot.gov/safetravel/batteriesSo the rules specify the allowable quantity of lithium, in watt-hours, but what if more than one passengers have one of those? What if I carry two, both of which are "allowed" ? What if I carry one and my wife another one ?For example my battery packs are 3700mAh/24V each, that is 88.8 watt-hours but I carry two, which brings me over the limit of 160 watt-hours.The rules are also contradicting. Why is my camcoder allowed but not my hot-wheels? Assuming they are both below the limits?

author: bktemp
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 01, 2016, 08:02:17 pm
content: Quote from: tatus1969 on September 01, 2016, 06:59:41 pmAre you really allowed to take such huge batteries with many kWh into a plane? 120g Li is insane. Typical batteries contain a couple of grams lithium per 100Wh.

author: tatus1969
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 01, 2016, 09:04:26 pm
content: Quote from: bktemp on September 01, 2016, 08:02:17 pmsorry for that mistake. it was of course 120Wh, and not 120g Li.

author: vodka
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2016, 05:37:32 am
content: QuoteThis happens because the people like that treat as BORREGOS(form despective of the lamb), if the people will leave to fly with these airlines, you would see as soon would begin to up the absurds security restriction.But the people that have an insatiable necessary to fly , they won't do. I never understand that the people feel like to stay an airport for 8 hours on holidays.

author: alanb
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2016, 08:00:36 am
content: Was the cause of the fire on Eygyptair MS804 in May ever confirmed? I suspect that this may have been Lithium batteries in someone's carry on luggage.

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2016, 08:57:53 am
content: Last time, I was travelling with ryanair. I was at the end of the line, waiting to go from the gate to the plane. So she decided, that we dont have enough space in the plane for hand baggage (samsonite cabin sized, made to be used on airplanes), and put a sticker on my bag that it goes into the cargo hold.She went away, I ripped of the sticker, borded the plane, put my bag into the overhead compartment, where obviously was enough space, and enjoyed my flight.I will never understand why they have to be rude and make up stuff, just because. Like Wizzair small cabin bag and stuff.

author: Halcyon
author_rank: Unknown
timestamp: September 02, 2016, 09:02:58 am
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on September 02, 2016, 08:57:53 amHaving never been a flight attendant, I can't really speak for them. But having dated a "flighty" before, I can tell you they put up with a lot of shit for not that great pay. I can only assume the airline calculated a bit of a "ready reckoner" that the flight crew use to determine when the overhead lockers are "at capacity" based on an average. So all they have to do is count to a certain number of passengers that have bags and after that cut-off, the overhead lockers are deemed full. It kind of makes sense to do it this way, if indeed they were filled to capacity, the time it would take to work it out, arrange your bag to be placed into cargo etc... it would cause avoidable delays.Airports run at a very tight schedule and if they miss their departure or arrival slot, too bad, your flight goes into a queue, which then causes more delays at the other end because it didn't arrive when it was scheduled to. I think from memory airport operators actually charge airlines for delays (maybe a pilot or someone in-the-know can confirm this).I guess you got lucky.

author: tatus1969
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2016, 09:19:07 am
content: latest Lithium incident:http://www.androidpolice.com/2016/09/01/samsung-galaxy-note-7-recall-due-exploding-batteries-might-imminent/

author: tszaboo
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2016, 09:23:32 am
content: Quote from: Halcyon on September 02, 2016, 09:02:58 amI guess the low cost airliners work differently in EU and AUS. I was going from and arriving to an airport, which serves probably 20 planes a day.QuoteWhich, in case a Lufthansa or any other operator would have asked me to do, I would, without hesitation. We are talking about an airliner, which did not had reserved seat at some point, and I've seen planes, where the first two lines were empty, so that extra hand baggage can go there.

author: Rupunzell
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2016, 05:02:00 pm
content: Lithium batteries caused UPS to loose this Boeing 747 and more. Currently, Lithium batteries are banned from domestic USA shipments via air.http://www.theepochtimes.com/n3/1421555-chinas-sloppy-battery-industry-threatens-global-gadget-supply-chain/?utm_expid=21082672-11.b4WAd2xRR0ybC6ydhoAj9w.0&utm_referrer=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.google.com%2Fhttp://avherald.com/h?article=4307772e/0006The majority of techno widget users have no idea how dangerous and the potential fire-explosion hazard baked into lithium batteries adding to this problem. Investor-banker-greed driven cost reduction in lithium batteries (not just lithium batteries) have resulted in more than a few lethal hazards with lithium batteries.It was not long ago when lithium battery hazards-fires grounded the entire fleet of Boeing 787..Bernice

author: akis
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 02, 2016, 05:08:47 pm
content: Quote from: NANDBlog on September 02, 2016, 08:57:53 amBecause the check-in crew are responsible of loading the plane as fast as possible without delays. I believe their salaries depend on that.The aircraft crew, who are completely independent, have the final say though and can refuse to take on passengers (and their luggage) if there is not enough space. The check-in crew can only guess how much cabin space there is left while the plane is boarding. And if they get it wrong it's their fault. On very busy flights they even take your cabin bag as you are checking your suitcases in (or they offer at least). But you must remove your lithium batteries first.And when the shit hits the fan the check-in crew start running to and from the plane, grabbing cabin bags from people on the ramp still queuing to get into the plane and sending them to the hold.

author: Ampera
author_rank: Super Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2016, 02:53:25 pm
content: With WOW air (Hi iceland) on a flight from BOS-KEF-FRA, there were no restrictions on electronic devices. As long as it passed TSA you were fine and they weren't about to break open your bags to take your carry on devices away.Also we never used the compartments for carry on because we all had bags and backpacks. We just had them at our seat and there was no problem either. It was an international flight run by Iceland, but I don't see how that would change anything.

author: RGB255_0_0
author_rank: Frequent Contributor
timestamp: September 03, 2016, 03:18:13 pm
content: My experience of Bristol and Luton airports is that security are more interested in liquids, beauty products and medicinal products than batteries, although I've yet to take a battery bank through. Will find out in November what they think of my 6-cell bank.