flying with batteries ? yes/no

Yardbent

Yardbent

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John
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Yes
carrying my D40 DSLR and a flashgun [4 x AA ] on board

before trolling through Flybe T&C

1. do you take batteries on-board to "prove" camera works

2. or pack in "checked" luggage

thanks....:thumbs:
 
All my gear in a camera bag carry on :thumbs: know it safe then :)
 
I never gave a thought to batteries either - what I was worried about was the airlines attitude towards the glass and the potential to break it into sharp pointy things to go stabbing people with. Needless to say, it wasn't a problem.

Don't forget though, any lens cleaning fluids have to be carried through separately in a clear plastic bag
 
Hand luggage - Also with larger batteries, some airlines insist battery terminals are taped to avoid short circuits.
 
thanks all - found an email contact for flybe so will post reply
 
Ive taken all my kit (chargers, batteries, lenses, laptop etc) on hand luggage on a lot of airlines. The bag normally stop in the scanner for a while but then its out not problem. Even on Ryan Air!!
 
Not yet had a problem. Kit bag always goes as hand baggage. Batteries always in the kit bag, with the plastic protector fitted. Charger(s) go in the hold baggage though. Flew to Edinburgh last September with Flybe and no worries, although the bag wouldn't go in the overhed locker so I had not a lot of legroom...
 
I always keep my batteries in the cameras, but flying back over transatlantic with my Cyberpack 6 backpack loaded with two DSLRs, a flash, 2 or 3 lenses, they just asked me to open up the bag to show what was inside, they didn't ask me to prove anything worked (although the LCD still shows the remaining images count when the cameras are turned off anyway).
 
Nod said:
Flybe and no worries, although the bag wouldn't go in the overhead locker so I had not a lot of legroom...
Click to expand...

tell me about it --- flew many times with RyanAir cabin bag in overhead locker

switched to Flybe - same bag wouldn't fit THEIR gauge so £12 charge for each of 4 legs
children of unmarried parents....:razz:
 
My understanding is that it is only the US FAA that is interested in camera batteries. Not in the hold, terminals covered, etc. Not sure if there are any limits on numbers as DSLR batteries tend to be below the 8g Li threshold for counting.
 
SPARE lithium batteries MUST go in your hand luggage and be protected against short-circuit (piece of tape).
It is advised to put other spare batteries in hand luggage, but not a requirement as far as I can see.
 
Yardbent said:
thanks all - found an email contact for flybe so will post reply
Click to expand...

quote
"Dear John

Many thanks for your email. Its up to you, you can leave the batteries in the digital camera or you can put them in your hold bag.

Kind Regards
Flybe Customer Call Centre"
 
The best on-line guidance I can find is:

… and the former page links to:

So, put the batteries for your camera in your hand-baggage and protect them from short circuiting and you shouldn’t have a problem.

British Airways' Guide to Dangerous Goods April 2010 says "Equipment containing such batteries may be in checked or carry-on baggage." That does seem to be the case, but who want to entrust their camera or laptop to airport baggage handlers?

That covers the question the OP asked so you can stop here ... but!

Laptop batteries are similar, only the high-capacity versions may be more problematical.

Unfortunately, even for the technically minded, the current ICAO guidance in not very transparent:

Consumer electronic devices (watches, calculating machines, cameras, cellular phones, laptop computers, camcorders, etc.) containing lithium or lithium ion cells or batteries when carried by passengers or crew for personal use. Spare batteries must be individually protected so as to prevent short circuits and carried in carry-on baggage only. In addition, each spare battery must not exceed the following quantities:
  • for lithium metal or lithium alloy batteries, a lithium content of not more than 2 grams; or
  • for lithium ion batteries, an aggregate equivalent lithium content of not more than 8 grams.
Lithium ion batteries with an aggregate equivalent lithium content of more than 8 grams but not more than 25 grams may be carried in carry-on baggage if they are individually protected so as to prevent short circuits and are limited to two spare batteries per person.​

An amendment has been tabled to revise these to use Watt-hours rather than grams of lithium content, thus:

Consumer electronic devices (watches, calculating machines, cameras, cellular phones, laptop computers, camcorders, etc.) containing lithium or lithium ion cells or batteries when carried by passengers or crew for personal use. Spare batteries must be individually protected so as to prevent short circuits and carried in carry-on baggage only. In addition, each spare battery must not exceed the following quantities:
  • for lithium metal or lithium alloy batteries, a lithium content of not more than 2 grams; or
  • for lithium ion batteries a watt-hour rating of not more than 100 Wh.
  • Lithium ion batteries with a watt-hour rating of more than 100 Wh but not more than 160 Wh may be carried in carry-on baggage if they are individually protected so as to prevent short circuits and are limited to two spare batteries per person.

Is your head hurting yet? Mine was … but help is at hand, so carry on reading.

What does all this mean?

Firstly:
Watt hours = Amp hours x Voltage = (milliAmp hours / 1000) x Voltage​
So:
at 20 V (to cover 19 V laptops) 100 Wh is equivalent to 5000 mAh
at 10 V (to cover most digital cameras) 100 Wh is equivalent to 2500 10000mAh​

Taking as ab example Nikon’s EN-EL3e with a rating of 1500 mAh and voltage 7.4 V, this is equivalent to 11.1 Wh.

Then there are a couple of useful rules of thumb :
2 grams Equivalent Lithium Content (ELC) are about equal to 25 watt-hours:
  • at 10 V this is equivalent to 625 2500 mAh
  • at 20 V this is equivalent to 1250 mAh
8 grams Equivalent Lithium Content (ELC) are about equal to 100 watt-hours:
  • at 10 V this is equivalent to 2500 10000 mAh
  • at 20 V this is equivalent to 5000 mAh
25 grams Equivalent Lithium Content (ELC) are about equal to 300 watt-hours:
  • at 20 V this is equivalent to 15000 mAh

Finally, for a 20 V (laptop) battery:
160 Wh (the propose upper limit) is equivalent to 8000 mAh​

After all that, I conclude that I will be able to carry all my spare batteries in my hand baggage up to and including 2 high capacity laptop Li-ion batteries (my biggest is rated at 7800 mAh). And I now feel I know enough to argue my point at the check-in desk!
 
Wow, that must have taken a bit of research :thumbs:
Couple of corrections to the maths...

PickleB said:
Watt hours = Amp hours x Voltage = (milliAmp hours / 1000) x Voltage​
So:
at 20 V (to cover 19 V laptops) 100 Wh is equivalent to 5000 mAh
at 10 V (to cover most digital cameras) 100 Wh is equivalent to 10000 mAh​

Taking as ab example Nikon’s EN-EL3e with a rating of 1500 mAh and voltage 7.4 V, this is equivalent to 11.1 Wh.

Then there are a couple of useful rules of thumb :
2 grams Equivalent Lithium Content (ELC) are about equal to 25 watt-hours:
  • at 10 V this is equivalent to 2500 mAh
  • at 20 V this is equivalent to 1250 mAh
8 grams Equivalent Lithium Content (ELC) are about equal to 100 watt-hours:
  • at 10 V this is equivalent to 10000 mAh
  • at 20 V this is equivalent to 5000 mAh
Click to expand...
​
 
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