US travel alert: 7 items you can’t pack in checked bags anymore

Transportation Security Administration (TSA), along with the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has introduced a new rules to make air travel more safe and secure. Starting now, seven types of items are banned from all checked bags on US flights.

These items must now go in your carry-on bag, not your checked luggage.

The reason? These items use lithium batteries, which can sometimes overheat and catch fire. Fires in the plane’s cargo area are very dangerous.

Here are the 7 things you can’t pack in checked bags anymore:

Power banks
Phone charging cases
Extra lithium-ion batteries
Extra lithium-metal batteries
Phone batteries
Laptop batteries

External battery packs or portable chargers

All of these items have lithium batteries, which can be risky if they get damaged, overcharged, or get too hot. If that happens, the battery can catch fire.

FAA said in a statement, “When a carry-on bag is checked at the gate or at planeside, all spare lithium batteries and power banks must be removed from the bag and kept with the passenger in the aircraft cabin. The battery terminals must be protected from short circuit.”

Why are lithium batteries dangerous?

Lithium batteries can go into something called “thermal runaway.” That means they get too hot and may start a fire. This can happen if:

The battery is damaged
It’s charged too much
It’s exposed to heat or water
It’s not packed properly
It has a manufacturing defect
A fire in the plane’s cargo hold can spread fast and cause serious damage. That’s why TSA and FAA are taking this step to keep flights safe.