Southwest Airlines imposing new rules on portable chargers on flights

Southwest Airlines is cracking down on portable battery chargers with new rules limiting how many passengers can have and where they can store them.

Big picture view:

Starting April 20, passengers will only be allowed to bring one lithium portable charger, according to multiple reports. The new rules also prohibit keeping them in overhead bins or checked bags.

Anybody using one to charge another device will need to keep it out in the open, the Associated Press added. The restriction will allow flight attendants to react quickly if the charger starts to overheat.

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What's next:

The new rules do not mean Southwest will start searching bags and seizing extra chargers, the company assured travelers. Instead, the airline plans to stress the rules to passengers when they book and when they get to the airport, Southwest's Vice President of Safety and Security Dave Hunt told the Associated Press.

The backstory:

The Federal Aviation Administration reports there were 97 air incidents involving lithium batteries last year, and that number has increased every year since 2020. It went on to add the caveat that those figures only include the ones that the agency knows about and may not cover every one that happened in that time. 

The FAA list included events of smoke, fire, or extreme heat linked to battery packs or batteries, e-cigarettes and vapes, cellular phones, laptops, and other electronic devices.

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