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Comment by longislandguido | Hacker News Reader

Power banks were a mistake. It's akin to carrying fireworks in your bag. Ban them all from air travel.

Every one I have owned has been recalled for being a fire hazard. EVERY SINGLE ONE. I stopped buying them as a result. We're talking name brand devices, not junk off AliExpress.

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I've never had any issues with brand name, not dollar store power banks and I've been using them for more than a decade. I'd totally expect a $5 pink power bank from a alphabet amazon seller to be an issue, but anything modern and reasonable like Anker are very unlikely to cause you any issues. Balancing, protection are very much solved issues at this point for the cell chemistries we use.

If LiPo was the issue, using LiFePo4 or LTO cells for planes would be a totally reasonable alternative too. LTO cells are so safe the manufacturer of them has videos on youtube of them hammering nails into the cells, cutting them with a saw, and crushing them with a press and they don't really care.

Not really, even Anker recalled a huge number of power banks last year: https://www.cpsc.gov/Recalls/2025/Anker-Power-Banks-Recalled...

That's a bit surprising to me, wonder what the root cause of that was. It seems to be shared across multiple products at once so maybe they had a bad batch of cells?

https://www.androidauthority.com/anker-power-bank-x-ray-scan...

A company like Anker issuing a recall actually instils confidence in me, the alternative is no recall when flaws in a product are discovered.

You bring dollar store power banks onto airplanes?

I'm sure people do. People will buy the absolute shittiest things to save a buck. The power bank could come with a skull and crossbones painted on it, and have the product name "Deadly Explosive Power Bank" and people would still buy it if it was $10 cheaper than a reputable one.

What, you want to pay extra to get the boring battery bank?

My power banks are my power tool batteries. Charge or discharge via usb-c; drills and things use traditional rails.

I've heard stories about power tool batteries going up, but I've never seen it.

I've seen many spicy pillows and even a thermal runaway or two on the flatpack batteries.

Do you remember the model names?

It's great technology, but sadly humans are fucking morons, and dodgy manufacturers making explosive power banks has lead to the restrictions...

Although honestly how bad is it, powerbanks are very popular, I can imagine in some regions there'd be hundreds of flights taking off daily with 150+ power banks on board (the majority of passengers on a 737), and they've all landed safely.

In my city, I could scan a QR code and pay the parking meter that way. Now they've decomissioned this and you have to go to the app and select the section of the road you're parked at. Why, because scammers made scammy QR codes. Great tech, can't have them because humanity's inherent scumbaggery.

what about your mobile phone or laptop?

Phone batteries are typically smaller (less energy which can be violently dissipated) than most power banks.

Naturally you will ask, what about tablets and laptops? They are prohibited from checked luggage for this reason. Power banks however are smaller and easier to conceal.

The risk is really in a fire developing in your bag down below in cargo, where no one can see it. By the time the fire alarms go off, it's too late and good luck if you are over water or the Arctic. If it happens upstairs they can at least tend to it with a fire extinguisher or bag/blanket.

See ValuJet Flight 592, fire in an airplane's cargo hold is probably one of the scariest ways to slowly die.

It's all about corralling risk. You can't tell people they can't bring their laptops. But power banks are unnecessary nice-to-haves.

There are fire extinguishers and smoke detectors in the holds of aircraft.

Li-ion fires do not require external oxygen, the cathode decomposes to release its own oxygen gas during thermal runaway... fire extinguishers will not stop it.

Except you can't extingush a lithium cell fire because it has the oxydizer inside. Once you see one you'll understand. It's scary.

Halon apparently, which is ineffective against lithium battery fires.

I'd rather not test this theory because of your cavalier attitude while I'm in a chair 40,000 ft over the ocean.

It's effective against the rest of the combustible material in the hold so ideally the fire remains contained to the battery.

Laptops, at least in the US, are not banned in checked luggage[1]. The airlines may have different rules, but generally the airline is not the one inspecting your bag, TSA is.

[1] https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/...

The policies are indeed confusing. FAA rules prohibit power banks and spare (uninstalled) batteries from checked baggage.

It's a bit of a grey area on jurisdiction because FAA cares about flight safety (fires) whilst TSA is primarily looking for terrorists.

United Airlines, however, prohibits laptops and tablets:

* Remove any lithium batteries from electronic devices stored in checked bags.

* If batteries cannot be removed, these devices must be stowed in cabin bags only.

* Store any spare batteries in cabin bags.

And that itself is a recent policy change from just in the last two months; as of January United's official policy [1] matched the FAA's in only requiring checked devices to be powered down

[1] https://web.archive.org/web/20260129152627/https://www.unite...

Ah, good. We're currently reliant on unpaid, probably-not-too-happy workers for fire safety. Sounds like a great time to stay off an airplane in the USA.

Powerbanks are simply manufactured to lower standards, by companies that have no brand accountability.

"Phones were a mistake. Every one I have owned has been recalled for being a fire hazard."

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