Southwest limits chargers
- Starting April 20, Southwest permits only one portable charger per passenger and requires it to remain with the traveler. - The rule explicitly bans the charger from checked bags and overhead bins, affecting travelers with multiple power banks. - The restriction takes effect immediately as part of a set of recent Southwest policy changes passengers are discussing online (news4jax.com).
Southwest Airlines began limiting passengers to one portable charger per flight on April 20, and the device cannot go in a checked bag or an overhead bin. (southwest.com) (news4jax.com) Southwest’s updated baggage guidance says portable chargers and power banks must stay in a carry-on bag or on the passenger, and any charger used onboard must be visible rather than stored in a bag. The airline also says lithium-ion batteries in those chargers must not exceed 100 watt-hours. (southwest.com) That is a sharper limit than Southwest’s earlier public guidance, which said travelers could carry up to 20 spare batteries, including portable chargers and external battery packs, if the batteries were protected against short circuits. The April 20 rule changes what many frequent travelers could bring on board. (southwest.com) Federal Aviation Administration rules already barred spare lithium batteries and portable rechargers from checked baggage. The agency says those items must stay with the passenger in the cabin so smoke or fire can be spotted and handled quickly. (faa.gov) The Federal Aviation Administration warned in an August 25, 2025 Safety Alert for Operators that lithium batteries can start onboard fires and that batteries in overhead bins can be obscured, harder to reach, and harder for passengers or crew to monitor. The agency said delayed detection can increase the safety risk in flight. (faa.gov) The same alert describes “thermal runaway,” a chain reaction in a damaged or overheating battery that drives temperature and pressure higher on its own. The Federal Aviation Administration says crews may need large amounts of water to cool a battery because extinguishers can knock down flames without stopping the reaction inside the cells. (faa.gov) Southwest’s page still says portable chargers may be used onboard if they remain visible, but not to charge devices in overhead bins. News4JAX reported April 20 that the airline’s new restriction took effect immediately and applies to travelers boarding that day. (southwest.com) (news4jax.com) For passengers, the practical change is simple: one power bank, packed where you can reach it, not in checked luggage and not in the overhead bin. Travelers carrying multiple backup batteries now have to repack before they get to the gate. (southwest.com) (faa.gov)
