CO2 cartridges on planes now allowed

[Hamish Moffatt]

Hi,

A couple of years ago I asked here about taking CO2 cartridges on
domestic commercial flights. The rules showed this wasn't allowed
(although the same cartridges are used in the life jackets).

However I just noticed that Qantas now specifically allow it:
http://www.qantas.com.au/travel/airlines/dangerous-goods/global/en

Limit 4 per passenger, up to 28g/50mL each, well packaged.

Virgin allow you two spare cartridges for your life jacket. You don't
even have to have the life jacket with you.
http://www.virginaustralia.com/au/en/plan/baggage/dangerous-goods/

As an aside, both airlines say a maximum of 2 spare lithium ion
batteries are allowed (carry on only).

regards,
Hamish

[SimonW]

Nothing about the CO2 cartidges, but something about Lithium batteries...

I haven't looked at the rules and regs recently and offer this as motivation
for further research for would-be travellers encumbered with Lithium
batteries of any sort.

I read rules and regs fairly thoroughly before flying Singapore Airlines to
Paris last year. The airline rulings for lithium batteries were not very
clear, not very consistent between airlines, and even worse, less clear to
airline staff. I rang a couple...

What became clear for Singapore Airlines was that lithium batteries over a
certain size (large! 100Wh I think - the biggest laptop battery I've heard
of is 90Wh) were restricted, and that the criteria was the actual lithium
content in grams. The other thing that became clear to me is that much of
the hype at the time, not all, was about the commercial carrying of lithium
batteries. The documentation separating one from the other I found poor at
best.

In the end, I carried 20 CR123A lithium ion cells in my bike box which was
according to Singapore Airlines rules and regs at the time, and advice from
a phone call to Singapore Airlines before flying. Similarly, I also carried
an 18.5Wh Lithium Ion rechargeable battery along with two other LI
rechargeable batteries (phone and camera) in my hand luggage. The way some
of the documentation was written, it allowed an interpretation to exclude a
phone with a rechargeable LI battery !! Not so, well not yet. There were
also some irresponsible BS blogs and internet news items that were published
without ever checking the single erroneous source.

I gather much of the panic originated about from a fire caused in a flight
that subsequently made an emergency landing at Hong Kong. The fire was
apparently caused by a commercial news? camera battery pack... The knee jerk
went on for some time.

I'll be reading the rules and regs thoroughly and ringing again before the
next flight, domestic or international. Asking airline staff for advice
about LI batteries I found a bit akin to asking an average policeman about
the road rules for non-motorised vehicles, or an average cyclist for that
matter:-)

Cheers, Simon

Hi,

regards,
Hamish

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[Glen Thompson]

I have been reading up on these rules as I'll be travelling to Europe via
Singapore Airlines in May-June. The best information I could find was
actually on a Qantas web site, which pointed to the AITA site, which
appeared to have a bug in it and wouldn't let me read all the detailed
information that's supposed to be in it. The rules for spare batteries are
much tighter than for batteries already installed in equipment, but I think
generally OK for batteries below 160Wh capacity. A surprise was the
seemingly illogical differences in rules for carry-on vs checked-in bags,
but I guess there are reasons for them. I'm still looking, to be confident.
Glen

[Ian Peak]

I would have thought that the cost diferential of buying the batteries overseas or even

at singapore airport would not be great.

Probably  even cheaper outside Australia.

Better than bringing them from Australia.

I always prefer to buy my underwear & T shirts  from Marks & Spencers.

Most bicycle accessories are cheaper overseas, & can usually get VAT refunded at the airport

[Gordon Macmillan]

Likewise the difficulties facing tourers.

In 1997?; my venture to Kimberly had the 'Wisperlite' stove bottle (empty)
in baggage
ready for a fill of petrol/kerosine/diesel at Kununurra (Western Australia).

Fellow travellers with metho burners bought out the towns stock of that fuel,
difficult to convince retailers that it is not intended for use by those of
the local culture
as a cheap intoxicant.

gm for Victorian road rules see
<http://www.legislation.vic.gov.au/Domino/Web_Notes/LDMS/PubStatbook.nsf/b05145073fa2a882ca256da4001bc4e7/36E852AA5A0D62CACA25761E001F5FF1/$FILE/09-094sr.pdf>

At 04:04 PM 20/04/2012 +0930, you wrote:
>I have been reading up on these rules as I'll be travelling to Europe via
>Singapore Airlines in May-June. The best information I could find

----------------Subject: RE: [audax-oz] CO2 cartridges on planes now allowed

>Nothing about the CO2 cartidges, but something about Lithium batteries...

>--

[SimonW]

Yeah good point Ian, but depends somewhat on the batteries. Price of CR123A lithium cells at available commercial outlets was around five times internet sources whether here or in France. Had they been confiscated for some obscure interpretation of the regs, I was willing to spend the ~$200 replacing them in France, but otherwise transporting ~$30 worth of known batteries was well worthwhile, and meant I had a well tested brand and known quality for the intended use.  I suspect riders with rechargeable battery powered light sets don't have an easy or cheap option to buy new batteries at their destination.

 

Um, buying them in Singapore leaves the same lithium transport issue you had in Australia, if there was/is an issue. It was a national and international restriction, variously handled by different airlines.

 

Glen's research will no doubt reveal the current truth. Beware conforming to what one airline does with the expectation that another airline will have identical or similar arrangements. What was required as cabin luggage by one airline last year, had to be checked-in luggage by another as far as I was able to determine. The underlying cause might be common, the response not.

 

Like tax though, it was a pleasure to have the problem which I could have avoided by riding a lot less, drinking a lot more, spending a lot less money and staying at home :-)

[Glen Thompson]

Thanks for this info but my main concern was my computer battery, rechargeable and large, and my camera battery (small but expensive, rechargeable).  For other batteries I am happy to buy non-rechargeable ones as I go.  Re non-rechargeable lithium batteries, I heard only today over lunch that a guy couldn’t buy them in Greece and other countries, although Germany and France were OK.

 

Glen

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From: Ian Peak [mailto:ian...@hotmail.com]

Sent: Friday, 20 April 2012 4:19 PM
To: Glenn Audax SA Audax; Audax all