U.s. Travelers Face Major Disruptions As Tsa Cracks Down On Common Items In Checked Luggage With New Restrictions

Published on September 8, 2025

The caller TSA regulations person importantly impacted really U.S. travelers pack, peculiarly concerning lithium and lithium-ion batteries. To heighten formation safety, nan TSA now mandates that devices pinch these batteries, including smartphones, laptops, and moreover electrical toothbrushes, must beryllium carried successful carry-on luggage alternatively of checked bags. This alteration comes aft concerns that lithium batteries tin overheat and origin vulnerable fires. By enforcing this rule, nan TSA intends to minimize risks and guarantee a safer recreation acquisition for everyone.

Staying up to day pinch nan latest airdrome information regulations tin beryllium a challenge, peculiarly arsenic nan Transportation Security Administration (TSA) often updates its policies. Among nan astir notable changes precocious is simply a caller norm that affects really travelers grip devices pinch lithium and lithium-ion batteries. If you’re preparing for an upcoming flight, it’s important to beryllium alert of this important update.

In nan summertime of this year, nan TSA introduced a caller argumentation regarding nan carrier of lithium and lithium-ion batteries. Under this rule, passengers are now required to transportation devices aliases powerfulness sources containing these types of batteries successful their carry-on luggage alternatively than packing them successful checked bags. This norm is aimed astatine minimizing nan consequence of imaginable hazards associated pinch these batteries during nan flight.

While galore travelers understood that electronics for illustration smartphones, laptops, and tablets were included successful this caller regulation, there’s different mundane point that immoderate mightiness overlook: electrical toothbrushes. It’s communal for these devices to person built-in lithium batteries, which besides autumn nether nan updated TSA guidelines.

The Reason Behind nan Change

Earlier this year, some nan TSA and nan Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) made it clear that lithium and lithium-ion batteries airs a information consequence erstwhile placed successful checked baggage. According to nan FAA, these batteries are tin of overheating and triggering a vulnerable information known arsenic “thermal runaway.” This arena tin hap if nan artillery is damaged, overcharged, exposed to utmost temperatures, aliases moreover if nan artillery is poorly packed. In immoderate cases, thermal runaway tin moreover hap owed to a manufacturing defect. When this occurs, it tin lead to fires aliases explosions, making it a important information interest for airlines.

To mitigate these risks, nan caller norm mandates that each spare lithium-ion batteries and devices containing these batteries must beryllium placed successful carry-on luggage. While there’s still nan imaginable for overheating during nan flight, keeping specified batteries successful nan compartment allows nan formation unit to respond quickly and extinguish immoderate fires that whitethorn arise. The FAA further emphasized that if a traveler’s carry-on container is checked astatine nan gross aliases planeside, immoderate spare lithium batteries must beryllium removed and kept pinch nan rider successful nan cabin. It’s besides captious that nan terminals of these batteries are protected from short circuits to further trim risk.

What Items Are Affected?

The database of affected items is rather wide and includes immoderate instrumentality powered by lithium-based batteries, peculiarly those that are rechargeable. While galore passengers are alert of nan request to transportation items for illustration powerfulness banks and laptops successful their carry-on bags, location are other, little evident items that must travel nan aforesaid rule.

For example, electrical toothbrushes person go progressively popular, pinch studies showing that complete 40% of Americans usage them daily. The mostly of these toothbrushes, peculiarly rechargeable models, trust connected lithium aliases lithium-ion batteries. As such, nan TSA now requires that electrical toothbrushes beryllium packed successful carry-on luggage to comply pinch nan caller regulations.

This is an rumor that galore travelers whitethorn not deliberation astir erstwhile preparing for a flight. However, conscionable for illustration pinch larger electronics, it’s important to guarantee that devices specified arsenic toothbrushes that incorporate lithium batteries are packed successful nan compartment bag, not successful checked luggage.

What Travelers Need to Know

Travelers should beryllium alert that immoderate spare lithium batteries, including those for devices for illustration compartment phones, powerfulness banks, and moreover electrical toothbrushes, must beryllium carried successful carry-on baggage. This besides applies to batteries that are not installed successful their devices, specified arsenic other batteries that whitethorn beryllium stored for later use. The TSA recommends that passengers protect nan terminals of these batteries to forestall short circuits, and support them successful a measurement that prevents immoderate accidental activation.

This norm extends beyond conscionable electronics. Items for illustration rechargeable toothbrushes and different individual devices that incorporate lithium batteries must beryllium packed accordingly. It’s ever a bully thought to cheque nan manufacturer’s specifications aliases personification manual of immoderate point you’re bringing to guarantee it contains a lithium-based battery, which will require typical handling during travel.

New Guidelines and Programs

This updated regularisation is conscionable 1 of respective important changes nan TSA has implemented recently. Another awesome displacement is nan request for travelers to usage REAL ID-compliant recognition erstwhile boarding home flights. Additionally, passengers are now required to support their shoes connected during information checks, and TSA has rolled retired a caller program, Families connected nan Fly, which intends to streamline nan information process for families pinch young children.

Another notable alteration is nan motorboat of nan TSA PreCheck Touchless ID program, which offers a much seamless and contactless acquisition for eligible travelers. These changes bespeak nan TSA’s ongoing efforts to amended information and streamline nan rider experience.

With each nan changes to airdrome information regulations, it’s important for travelers to enactment informed astir nan latest rules. The prohibition connected lithium batteries successful checked luggage is 1 of nan astir important updates, arsenic it affects a wide scope of devices and individual items. By ensuring that each electronics and items containing lithium batteries are packed successful your carry-on luggage, you tin thief guarantee a safer and smoother recreation experience. So, adjacent clip you’re preparing for a flight, don’t hide to cheque nan contents of your carry-on bag, including immoderate rechargeable devices for illustration electrical toothbrushes, and retrieve to battalion them accordingly.