Anyone who has been on a plane recently knows the drill: Lithium-ion batteries, used in many rechargeable electronics such as power banks, cameras, vapes, laptops and more, have to go in your carry-on bag instead of your checked bag.
In fact, if they end up in your checked bag, they can pose a real problem for everyone on the plane. Lithium-ion batteries are fire hazards and have been known to heat up, explode or start fires on airplanes. Just recently, a laptop’s lithium battery caught fire on an American Airlines flight and burned several passengers before flight attendants stopped the flames with a thermal containment bag.
“These incidents on airlines have increased a lot. There’s been about a 15% increase” from 2024 to 2025, said Kelly Ransdell, the director of public education for the National Fire Protection Association.
Rechargeable lithium-ion batteries are the source of “so many fires,” according to Ransdell. These fires happen in airplanes, but also at home, work and other spaces. The National Fire Protection Association found that most people have no idea that rechargeable batteries need to be treated differently than other batteries “and that also carries over even to when you travel,” she said.
There’s a reason why some products with rechargeable batteries are OK to travel with and others are more problematic.
“In many cases, portable chargers and e-cigarettes and vapes are some of the things that have the most issues when they’re in-flight,” she continued.
Most cellphones and laptops are “listed,” which means they “meet the minimum safety standards … that make sure that they’re built and they perform at a certain level,” Ransdell said. This helps prevent issues like explosions and fires, but as mentioned in the laptop example above, these items can catch fire even if they are listed.
“Part of the problem with many of the power banks and e-cigarettes and vapes is they’re not listed, which means the quality of the materials in them doesn’t meet the U.S. quality standards,” Ransdell explained.
This can happen with items made internationally but can also happen with cheaply made domestic products. Because of this, Ransdell recommended that people go “old school” and visit a reputable store to purchase rechargeable electronics.
You can buy listed items online, too, but it’s harder. Some discount stores and online retailers sell counterfeit products that are stamped but not actually up to safety standards, Ransdell noted. If you do purchase lithium-battery-containing items online, buy directly from a reputable retailer.
The Occupational Safety and Health Administration keeps a database of the agencies that approve products; several listing agencies also have searchable databases to look up a specific product to ensure it meets safety standards.
Items that don’t meet safety standards are at higher risk of overheating and going into what’s known as “thermal runaway.” But any lithium-ion battery can catch fire or overheat, whether listed or not. According to Ransdell, thermal runaway happens when something within the battery, known as a separator, gets damaged. It can be harmed by a range of things, including getting too hot, too cold, being dropped and charging too quickly.
The battery can also be damaged from manufacturing defects, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
When the separator gets damaged and the battery overheats, it eventually gets so hot that it perforates and explodes, Ransdell explained. (This is why it’s important to monitor your electronics as they charge.)
“You can imagine on an airline, if you were to have a battery and it were to go into thermal runaway in your suitcase or somewhere out of sight … these are big fires from little bitty devices,” she said. “That’s why the airlines have said we want to make sure that people can access it if something were to go wrong.”
“Keep it in sight when you’re in flight” is a helpful rhyme to remember when traveling with lithium-ion batteries, Ransdell said. And any damaged or defective lithium batteries shouldn’t be brought on the plane at all.
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There are some rules to follow to help keep your rechargeable electronics from catching fire.
“Anything rechargeable pretty much is going to be lithium ion,” Ransdell said.
Most people use rechargeable electronics every day, but when using these items, there are several factors to keep in mind to stay as safe as possible.
First, make sure you charge the device with the cable it came with, Ransdell said. If you do need to replace the charger, be sure to get the right one for the item.
“Where you charge makes a difference. We want to make sure people aren’t charging on a soft surface like a bed or carpet or furniture because they naturally heat up,” she said.
When your electronic is fully charged, take it off the charger. This is true for items you may travel with like vapes, power banks and cellphones, and also products like vacuums and power tools at home. “Leaving it on the charger can actually damage it and make it more brittle,” said Ransdell, referring to the battery.
“The other thing is hot and cold affects it. If it’s really, really cold or it’s really, really hot, it can damage those batteries because they’re not designed for either one of those temperature extremes,” she said.
You should also know the signs of a problem with the lithium-ion battery. This includes swelling, color changes, weird noises, odd smells and getting very hot, Ransdell said. “All of those things should be red flags that there may be something wrong with that battery.”
“And then lastly, making sure that when you’re flying … keep it in sight. Have your rechargeable items within arm’s distance so that if something were to go wrong with them, the flight crew could deal with it quickly,” Ransdell noted.