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My flight ticket says that it is not allowed to take "lithium ion batteries", neither in the carry-on bag nor in the checked bag. I have a battery, about the size of a cell-phone, that is used for charging the cell-phone. I looked at the package but did not find any mention of whether or not it contains lithium ion (the only thing mentioned is that it contains 10,000 mAh).

Is such battery usually allowed in the carry-on bag? In the checked bag?

EDIT: the flight companies are FlyDubai and Emirates.

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    Nearly all current batteries using in consumer electronic devices and in power banks are Lithium-Ion. What airline is this? It's highly unusual not to be allowed such batteries. There are usually restrictions (on the max power, on the number of batteries, and in the case of spare batteries and power banks, on either having them in carry-on or taking extra steps if they are in checked luggage), but no blanket restriction. My guess is that you are flying El Al and this is an additional security measure?
    – jcaron
    Commented Nov 22 at 14:15
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    FYI, "battery for charging cellphones" properly called a "power bank". You can change it in your question, to make it easier for readers. Commented Nov 22 at 14:20
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    @JustAnotherCoder IATA guidelines make a (small) difference between batteries inside devices and spare batteries/powerbanks. If the restrictions is for security reasons (as in "it could be a bomb disguised as a power bank") rather than safety (as in "lithium ion burns as hell"), the fact that you can turn on your phone may make a difference as well, though we've seen with the pager attacks that even a working device can be a problem.
    – jcaron
    Commented Nov 22 at 14:46
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    Beyond whatever short statement is on the ticket itself, your airline's website likely has a more detailed explanation of prohibited items, which will probably clarify this. I suggest reading it and then updating your question as needed. If you need help finding it, then tell us what airline it is. I agree it's very unlikely that lithium ion batteries, including those inside devices, are prohibited altogether. Commented Nov 22 at 16:37
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    Most airlines I have flown internationally this year have explicitly said to unplug battery chargers during takeoff, landing and taxiing but that they are fine while in flight.
    – Rory Alsop
    Commented Nov 22 at 18:13

2 Answers 2

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You can take it with you in carry-on. Neither airline policies state that these are forbidden. This is in-line with rules at the majority of airlines. Lithium-Ion batteries that are loose and not built-in into a device have more restrictions but the device you are describing is categorized as a small electronic device with an integrated lithium-ion battery. This is the same category as the majority of cellphones. Even laptops often fall under the same class of items and have larger batteries. Some devices that use much larger batteries are often banned, such as electric hoverboards.

It is always best to verify with official policy when in doubt since airlines are free to make rules that are more restrictive than regulation allows. In the case of Emirates, you will find their rules here. It is even allowed to have such devices in checked luggage according to their policy, but I would not recommend doing that. As for FlyDubai, their policy is here. They also allow it for cabin luggage and allow non-spare in checked-luggage with some restrictions.

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Given the size and capacity you describe, your battery is lithium-ion. The other common rechargeable battery chemistry, nickel metal hydride, is only about a third as dense.

Batteries such as what you describe are often allowed in carry-on baggage, and usually prohibited in checked baggage. The idea is that if such a battery catches fire, it can be extinguished if it's in the carry-on, but if it's in checked baggage, the only option is to hope that the airplane can land before the fire spreads too far. (Lithium battery fires tend to re-ignite even after being extinguished, and the cargo-hold fire extinguishers can only be activated once.)

If your flight bans lithium-ion batteries, check to see if you are allowed to take your cellphone aboard. It's also got a lithium-ion battery in it, though a smaller and better-protected one than your external battery has.

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    "better-protected": citation needed on this. my phone's back is glass that tends to shatter easily (I went through 5+ of them) and battery is right behind it. my power bank has thick plastic.
    – ave
    Commented Nov 23 at 23:41

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