Southwest limits power banks

Southwest Airlines will start limiting passengers to one portable charger on April 20, tightening its rules on lithium battery packs carried onboard. (nytimes.com) The airline’s updated policy applies to lithium battery-powered portable chargers, often called power banks, and keeps Southwest’s existing 100 watt-hour cap in place. Southwest also says those chargers cannot go in checked bags, matching long-standing Federal Aviation Administration rules for spare lithium batteries. (nytimes.com) (faa.gov) Southwest told employees in an internal memo that chargers must be kept on a passenger or in a bag under the seat, not in an overhead bin, and they cannot be recharged with in-seat power during the flight. The Associated Press and CBS Texas reported those details on April 8. (nbcnewyork.com) (cbsnews.com) Lithium batteries can enter thermal runaway, a chain reaction that can produce intense heat, smoke, and fire. That is why the Federal Aviation Administration requires spare lithium batteries and power banks to stay in the cabin, where crews can reach them quickly if one overheats. (faa.gov 1) (faa.gov 2) Southwest’s one-charger limit goes beyond a new global baseline issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization on March 27. That guidance allows up to two power banks per passenger and bars charging them in flight or storing them in overhead bins. (icao.int) (simpleflying.com) The timing overlaps with a wider retrenchment at the airline. Southwest said on March 13 that it would end service at Chicago O’Hare International Airport on June 4 and concentrate its Chicago flying at Midway Airport. (chicago.suntimes.com) (nbcchicago.com) Illinois layoff filings tied that O’Hare exit to 107 affected Southwest employees in a March 31 Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification notice. USA Today and Simple Flying reported the cuts this week after the filing appeared in the state’s April report. (simpleflying.com) (usatoday.com) For travelers, the practical change is simple: bring one compliant power bank, keep it within reach, and do not plan to top it up from the seat outlet once you are airborne. Southwest’s new rule takes effect eight days before the carrier reports first-quarter results on April 28. (nytimes.com) (simpleflying.com)