Southwest will no longer allow portable batteries to be stored in passenger bags
Southwest Airlines is introducing a new rule, requiring passengers to keep power banks and portable charging devices in plain sight while traveling on its planes.
The airline cited safety as the reason for the updated policy, following a string of fires sparked by lithium-ion batteries, and said separating battery packs makes it easier for crewmembers to access and intervene in case a lithium-ion battery overheats or catches fire during travel.
"Southwest will introduce a first-in-industry Safety policy on May 28 requiring Customers to keep portable charging devices visible while in use during flight," the airline said in a statement. "Using portable charging devices while stored in a bag or overhead bin will no longer be permitted. Nothing is more important to Southwest than the Safety of its Customers and Employees."
The new rule makes Southwest the first U.S. carrier to implement the policy. Some international airlines already have similar rules in place, particularly Asian carriers, including all of South Korea's airlines, according to Reuters.
The Federal Aviation Administration does not currently require airlines to restrict portable batteries or require batteries to be separated from passenger carry-on bags. Portable batteries and related devices are currently allowed in passenger baggage under FAA rules.
As of April, there have been 19 lithium-ion battery incidents involving extreme heat, fire, or smoke on cargo and passenger flights this year, according to the FAA.
In January, an Air Busan flight in South Korea with nearly 180 passengers and crew needed to be evacuated after smoke filled a plane cabin and a fire broke out before takeoff. South Korea's transport ministry later cited a power bank with deteriorated insulation as the potential cause of the fire, Reuters reported.
