Domestic Flights with led/18650 flashlights

Been reading the new regs and its confusing imo,
Whats the best legal way to take a flashlight/battery on the plane…?

In your carry on luggage.

I’ve never had a problem carrying on flashlights and extra batteries. My high is 5 lights (family of 5) and 4 extra batteries in battery cases.

Yup, what they said. Have done it several times in the past month. Just carry ’em on. I think they have (or are going to soon) crack down on them in checked luggage.

I know China has cracked down on Lithium ion in checked luggage. They have good detectors.

It’s already against FAA regs to put spare lithium ion cells/packs (including a USB powerbank) in checked baggage. Don’t wait for a crackdown to comply. Air travel is a very dangerous activity that is, paradoxically, safe enough that you can easily forget the danger.

The only reason that is possible is because over the past 100+ years, aviation has maintained a very high value on passenger safety — there are no acceptable losses. As a result they are very, very conservative about risk. Don’t think or act like you know better, you don’t.

I’ve always carried lithium batteries in checked baggage since before they made that a rule.
I wasn’t aware they weren’t allowed until a few years ago.
Haven’t ever been stopped or had anything removed though, including since it was made a rule.
More than a dozen international flights, and nobody said anything to me yet.

The correct way is to take them in carry-on though, don’t do this :stuck_out_tongue:

I know the ticket agents are asking about lithium batteries now, but they don’t seem to be making a distinction between spare and installed batteries. I mentioned that my shaver was the only thing that had a battery and she said if it’s lithium, I’d have to take it out of the checked bag.

KuoH

update:

Well, just got flagged on Monday at PHX tsa for a’ flashlite in my carry on.

Had 3 with me, all D4 Emisar, 1 grey with a 18350 tube and an aspire 1100 in it, and the other smooth green with an 18650 vtc6 in it. Plus a spare green 18350 tube and spare aspire battery. And 2 spare sony 18650 in a clear plastic battery case. Also had a green matte d4 packed in my carry on as a gift in its original box with an added 1 18350 tube and aspire1100, and a 18650 sanyo in it. And 1 usb nitecore single cell charger in its original packaging, and the charger I was using not in its packaging. Was going camping to the desert in Cali to play in the dunes so lights are always great to have there in the rv and sand car.

When the tsa agent took me to a side table then started to open my carry on, I asked what had caused me to get flagged. He showed me the picture on his screen of the x-ray with the 18650 flashlite circled in red. Both my lites were in in my toiletry bag, but only the 18650 was flagged…? When he got the bag open the little 18350 lite was half out of its pouch pocket in the toiletry bag and he picked it up and said thats a little lite. I explained to him how to work it and he commented its bright, what battery is in it…? I thought about it for a second or 2 then said 18350… He didn’t even look up and put it back in its pocket, zipped it all back up, and I was on to my gate. He didn’t even see the 18650 lite at the other end of the toiletry pouch in its own pocket, or the other 18350 tube with a spare aspire, or the 2 18650 in a battery case in the big zipper compartment of the toiletry bag.

Wonder what would have happened if I said lithium-ion instead of 18350…? Or was he just concerned about the flashlight itself being a possible weapon, but saw how small it was and decided it was not a threat…?

Would luv to take some of my big throwers next time out, but scared tsa would make me throw them out in the large trash can at the tsa checkpoints, or not be able to board the plane with them…?

There might be a regulation that states you can’t carry on a flashlight greater than 7 inches in length. There was a stupid rule like that when I traveled to Europe that prevented me from bringing my XT30R to light up every structure from UK to Greece lol

I traveled with several 6P and 9P sized lights, no issues.

I had a 4D maglite confiscated in Frankfurt.

Flew from LA to London last week with a Convoy M1 and 2 extra batteries in my carry on backpack. No questions asked. Hopefully it’ll be the same on the way back.