Flying with chargers and power banks.

Wall chargers are unrestricted; power banks are not. Anything containing lithium cells must travel in the cabin, and the numbers that decide the rest are 100 watt-hours and 160 watt-hours — not milliamp-hours, which is what the box prints.

The rules, in one table

Item	Carry-on	Checked	Notes
Wall chargers and adapters	Yes	Yes	No cells inside; still better in the cabin
Cables, travel plug adapters	Yes	Yes	Unrestricted
Power bank under 100Wh	Yes	No	Standard allowance, no approval needed
Power bank 100–160Wh	With airline approval	No	Typically limited to two spares
Power bank over 160Wh	No	No	Not permitted in passenger baggage
Laptop with battery installed	Yes	Discouraged/restricted	Must be off, not sleeping, if checked at all
Damaged or swollen battery	No	No	Not permitted in any form

These reflect the ICAO/IATA dangerous-goods framework that most authorities including the FAA follow. Individual carriers add their own conditions, and several have tightened them recently, so the airline's own dangerous-goods page is the authority for your specific flight.

Converting mAh to watt-hours

Power banks advertise milliamp-hours; regulations use watt-hours. The conversion uses the cell's nominal voltage, which is 3.6–3.7V for lithium-ion, not the 5V on the USB output: Wh = (mAh ÷ 1000) × 3.7. So a 10,000mAh bank is about 37Wh, a 20,000mAh bank is about 74Wh, and a 26,800mAh bank is about 99Wh — which is precisely why so many travel power banks stop at that capacity. Above roughly 27,000mAh you are into approval territory. Compliant banks print the Wh figure on the case; if yours does not, do the arithmetic before you get to the desk.

Never gate-check a bag containing a power bank. When the overhead bins fill and your roll-aboard is taken at the door, that bag becomes checked baggage — where spare lithium cells are prohibited. Move the bank into your pocket or a personal item before you reach the gate, every time.

Why cabin-only

The rule is not arbitrary. A lithium cell in thermal runaway produces its own oxygen as it decomposes, so it is not readily put out by the halon suppression systems in a cargo hold. In the cabin, crews carry procedures and containment equipment and can act within seconds. That is also why a phone that slips into a seat mechanism should be reported rather than retrieved by force — a crushed cell is a fire risk, and cabin crew are trained for it.

During 2025 a number of carriers, particularly in Asia, went further and restricted using or charging power banks in flight, or required them to be kept out of overhead bins and visible. Policies differ by airline and continue to change, so check before you fly rather than assuming last year's rule holds.

In-seat power, realistically

Do not plan on the seat to charge a laptop. In-seat USB-A ports are commonly 5V at 1–2.1A, which is 5–10W — enough to slow a phone's discharge, not enough to fill it during a film. Newer USB-C seat ports typically deliver in the 20–60W range depending on the aircraft and cabin, and often derate when the whole row is drawing at once. AC outlets, where fitted, are usually limited to a modest continuous draw and trip out if a device pulls too much; a large laptop brick can cause the socket to cut off and reset. Seat power is also switched off during taxi, takeoff and landing on many aircraft.

The practical kit is a charged power bank under 100Wh plus a compact multi-port wall charger for the hotel, sized with the wattage map. Pack the plug shapes you need using plug types by country, and remember that a US-bought charger needs no transformer abroad — see converters versus adapters. Country-specific detail is on the travel hub, and cabin-friendly picks are in airline-safe chargers. Buy only certified units; counterfeit banks are precisely the ones that fail badly.

FAQ

Can I put a wall charger in my checked bag?

Yes. A wall charger contains no cells, so it is not treated as dangerous goods. Power banks and spare lithium batteries are the items that must stay in the cabin.

How many watt-hours is a 20,000mAh power bank?

About 74Wh, using the lithium-ion nominal voltage of 3.7V: (20,000 ÷ 1000) × 3.7. That is comfortably under the 100Wh threshold, so it needs no approval on most carriers.

Why are power banks banned from checked luggage?

A cell in thermal runaway generates its own oxygen and resists cargo-hold suppression systems. In the cabin, crew can identify and contain an incident within seconds.

Can I charge my laptop from the seat power outlet?

Sometimes, slowly. Seat USB-A ports are often only 5-10W, USB-C ports commonly 20-60W, and AC outlets are limited and can cut out under a large brick's load. Bring a power bank if it matters.