transporting lithium batteries

[Peter Noris]

This is excerpted from a much longer New York Times article about the fire potential involved in lithium batteries on aircraft. In the elided section it discusses the danger of having these in overhead bins - so I imagine traveling with them as baggage would be more dangerous. Although the number of reported fires is small it has increased dramatically in the past two years. Perhaps it would be a good idea to either buy batteries on your destination, keep them in a small bag in front of your seat and pack them so there is absolutely no way the terminals can be shorted.

“Most air passengers and flight crews are likely unaware of the fire risks posed by rechargeable lithium batteries,” the board wrote in 2008 in recommending a more aggressive approach to educating the public. The F.A.A. plans to follow that suggestion when it begins broadcasting public service announcements in airports next year, Mr. Bonanti said.

“There’s a whole slew of things that can go wrong with a lithium battery,” he said, adding that no matter how comfortable people are with their devices, caution is the best course of action. ■"

--
Peter
"Seeing the U.S.A. one brevet at a time"

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[Lloyd]

Whenever I travel with spare batteries (including on long rides when I
carry extra batteries for my lights) I pack them in inexpensive,
plastic battery boxes that I bought from the Container Store. When I
change batteries on the road I mark the spent ones, and put them back
in the case to dispose of when I get home. No worries about terminals
shorting out. Batteries have gotten dangerous in recent years!

[DrCodfish]

Lloyd said "Whenever I travel with spare batteries (including on long

rides when I
carry extra batteries for my lights) I pack them in inexpensive,

plastic battery boxes ..."

I just tape them together in 2's or 4s with a coulpe wraps of
electrician tape, including a rap around the terminals. The tape is
never wasted ( pretty much re-usable) and has come in handy at other
times.

Yr Pal Dr C

[Richard McCaw]

Don't assume past routines to transport lithium batteries will still get you and the batteries on a plane. It's very discretionary what airport security personnel will allow past xray inspections. Carrying more than a pack of spare lithium batteries could raise suspicions.

 

When I was returning from France in 2007 after PBP the XRAY inspection personnel called the police because I was carrying custom batteries. The police's decision was that one of my batteries needed to be destroyed. Fortunately I managed to solve situation. You might be allowed to get batteries out of the country but I wouldn't count on being allowed to get them back in the country. Other countries have stricter rules than the USA. Also TSA could change how they interpret the rules. So I would recommend not carrying many spares through security checkpoints. Especially since rules have changed since 2007 and there still have been fires on planes. So I expect there will be stricter interpretation of the rules. 

 

here is note from Alaska Airlines website

 

Lithium Batteries

As of January 1, 2008, customers may no longer pack spare lithium batteries of any kind in checked baggage. Customers can carry spare lithium batteries for devices such as laptops, cell phones and cameras, but they must be packed in their carry-on baggage with the terminals covered/insulated. Customers may check bags that contain lithium batteries only if they are installed in the electronic devices. Damaged batteries will not be accepted for transport. For important details regarding the safe transportation of batteries/battery-powered devices while flying, please visit http://safetravel.dot.gov/.

 

Richard McCaw
richar...@sbcglobal.net
Cell: 408-838-9863
Home: 408-448-2899

 

LinkedIn Profile: http://www.linkedin.com/in/mccaw

---

From: Lloyd <ldle...@comcast.net>
To: randon <ran...@googlegroups.com>
Sent: Wednesday, October 28, 2009 7:47:14 AM
Subject: [Randon] Re: transporting lithium batteries

[thirty-six]

On 27 Oct, 11:43, Peter Noris <pno...@gmail.com> wrote about lithium
batteries on planes.

From what I've seen, it is the deliberate tampering with the battery
which causes the problems. The battery in itself can be set as a time
delay incendary device without the use of external components. I
would be surprised if there was much risk of fire for an intact
battery. Saying that I realise that electrical or radiation treatment
of the battery may make it unsafe. Hey, so there you go, airports use
x-ray equipment to examine baggage and person. If a battery was to
pass x-ray detection equipment many times, it may deteriorate to such
an extent that it becomes unstable. This is totally unintentional and
an unecessary risk for the airlines, the staff and passengers to
carry.