Why fly? Because it’s difficult to travel across an ocean by train, bus, car or ferry.

But could they possibly have devised a more confusing set of limitations? How exactly is the average consumer supposed to figure out the “grams of lithium equivalent” in his laptop and mobile phone batteries? How is anyone supposed to figure this out? There’s no markings on the batteries, no website with a lookup table that I could find, no information whatsoever.

It’s reasonable to assume that the TSA screeners will be just as in the dark about this as I am, which means we could be subject to arbitrary confiscation of very expensive laptop batteries:

“This battery is too big, you can’t take it on the plane.”

“Too big? How do you know?”

“I just do. Throw it in the bin, or I’ll have you arrested.”

It doesn’t say whether or not this is individual or aggregate lithium content for all devices either. Not that I could see scanning it right away.

I foresee a lot of ticked off international travelers and business travelers who are forced to dispose of backup batteries for their laptops….

This is all probably fall out from the Dell “exploding laptop” stuff but really I just hate the TSA.

A soda purchased 10 feet from the scanners is not safe to bring through even though soda purchased on the other side was just x-rayed.

What is interesting to note, is that the only batteries that can go in luggage are those that are installed in a device (not a spare). Also, you can have only up to two batteries (spare or installed) in your carry-on luggage that have a total of 8 to 25 grams of lithium. That means, if you have a laptop with a spare battery, you are OK. If you have a the laptop with spare, you can’t have your cell phone (that would be three batteries), and heaven help you if you bring your camera.

The real kicker, is that the devices must be turned off at all times. You can’t use your laptop, iPod and such on the plane. Sorry, but no tunes for you, bring a book!

< http://www.tsa.gov/travelers/airtravel/assistant/batteries.shtm>

There’s a company down the road from me and the implantable pacemaker batteries it manufactures are indeed lithium. I don’t think you have to worry about carrying a spare either in checked or carry-on. . . .

Lithium metal cells (mostly relegated to coin format watch batteries and generally time keeping) have less than 2 grams of lithium, and packaged are generally 5 grams. So watches, etc, are fine.

On the border are the AA/AAA form factor lithium cells. Energizer sells the l91 AA and the l92 AAA cell. The AA cells weigh in at 15 g but have on the order of 3000 mAh each. Lithium metal has a theoretical energy density of 3900 mAh per gram, or therebout, and account for discharge losses/safety factor/ assembly losses, that number can ben anywhere from 1000 to 3000 mAh in practice. Thus, if the good engineers at Energizer squeeze the high value at, we’re well under 2 grams, but if they’re at the lower bound, no bunnies on a plane for us. Given the growing popularity of these cells, I wouldn’t be surprised if the two gram limit takes these cells into account and are OK. Of course, on the otherhand, given the arbitrary nature of the TSA, maybe those of use who like to use these cells are SOL.

At the bottom of that energizer PDF is a small clause

Transportation: For complete details, please reference:

Global (except US): Special Provision A45 of the International Air Transport Association Dangerous Goods Regulations

United States: 49 CFR 173.185

That last little googles up at this document which shows that this 2 gram limit is actually above previously stated 1.5 g limits imposed after a lithium battery fire at LAX in 1999.

Again:

The big question mark in my mind is pacemakers, which I though had 3 or 4 grams of lithium in ‘em, but I could be wrong on that.

I worked in a missing luggage department and there are LOTS of thieves working and unloading luggage. I also know that the restrictions on passengers are nothing like the restrictions on people who work there. There’s barely NO RESTRICTION. The workers waltz in and out quite easily.
LOL@ 28, halloween jack for abominations unto nuggan.

I’m waiting for the day when clothes will no longer be acceptable for flying as you can smuggle things under them and they burst into flame in contact with high heat.

The purpose of the rule is to give the agents more arbitrary power. That way, if they don’t like you for some reason — you give them a funny look in the line, for instance, which I’ve seen happen — they can throw out your batteries just to show you who’s boss. Are they under the limit? Fine, appeal the decision. Please submit your confiscated batteries as evidence.

That’s the real purpose of the TSA anyways; not security, but teaching citizens how to obey. In SecurityLand, every movement of the populace is controlled and directed by high school dropouts who couldn’t get into the real police force.

The problem is that Lithium is the lightest metal. Now, let’s assume everyone on the plane just took all the lithium they wanted onto the plane. Then it only takes one person who is an alchemist to turn all this lithium into gold. Now as you all know from observation, gold is much heavier. The new weight would make flying impossible and the plane would crash.

It’s likely someone in the intelligence community came across this “Al-Qa’my” terrorist plot and are taking proactive steps to prevent it.

Once again, the TSA has made us not only safe, but feeling safe.

“Under the new rules, you can bring batteries with up to 8-gram equivalent lithium content. All lithium ion batteries in cell phones are below 8 gram equivalent lithium content. Nearly all laptop computers also are below this quantity threshold.

You can also bring up to two spare batteries with an aggregate equivalent lithium content of up to 25 grams, in addition to any batteries that fall below the 8-gram threshold. Examples of two types of lithium ion batteries with equivalent lithium content over 8 grams but below 25 are shown below.”

So it doesn’t seem there is a limit on batteries below 8-gram content, despite the confusing info in the table.

Also you CAN turn your device on, it’s only when it’s IN THE BAGGAGE (checked or carry-on) that you need to ensure it remains turned off (that it won’t accidentally turn on while packed).

“Whether in checked or carry-on baggage, ensure that devices remain switched off, either by built-in switch/trigger locks, by taping the activation switch in the “off” postion, or by other appropriate measures.”

http://www.boingboing.net/2006/07/14/laptop-batteries-bur.html

and

http://www.boingboing.net/2006/07/28/dude-your-dell-just-.html

The logic of the rules is clear. There is a real fire hazard. If the fire takes place in the passenger compartment it will be noticed immediately. So the goal is to keep the fire small enough to be controlled without losing the airplane. In the luggage compartment it will not be noticed until it is much larger, and there is no good access to fight the fire. So checked luggage sizes are smaller to keep the potential fires smaller and controllable by the more limited firefighting facilities there.

In any fire the airplane will make an emergency landing, so fire size matters. If you can land and evacuate before the fire is too large, at least you save the passengers and crew.

From the NY Times:
http://jetlagged.blogs.nytimes.com/2007/12/28/the-airport-security-follies/index.html

The fact that crew members, many of whom are former military fliers, and all of whom endured rigorous background checks prior to being hired, are required to take out their laptops and surrender their hobby knives, while a caterer or cabin cleaner sidesteps the entire process and walks onto a plane unimpeded, nullifies almost everything our T.S.A. minders have said and done since September 11th, 2001. If there is a more ringing let-me-get-this-straight scenario anywhere in the realm of airport security, I’d like to hear it.

[I may be paranoid, but I come by it honestly. I like in Bushland, USA.)

So you could probably still bring a 9 volt to get annoying kids to lick.

No alkali metals! Hey! You were going to use this table salt to blow up the plane, weren’t you? Whattayamean it’s a sodium ion? ‘Zat mean bomb?

From TSA’s “Spare Battery Tips” page:

“If you have already charged a non-rechargeable battery, do NOT bring such a battery on board an aircraft.”