Are power banks allowed on planes? The 2026 FAA and airline rules

Power banks are allowed on most passenger flights, but they must stay in the cabin. Capacity, quantity, storage, and onboard use are separate rules, and the operating airline can be stricter than the regulator.

Use the power-bank flight checker to convert mAh to watt-hours and compare your bank with the current published rule for your airline. Flying to a trailhead? Every rated pick in our best ultralight power banks for hiking guide is under 40Wh, and the Nitecore NB10000 Gen4 review covers the lightest of them.

The capacity rule

Airlines regulate lithium-ion batteries in watt-hours (Wh), not milliamp-hours (mAh). The FAA's current passenger guidance uses three capacity bands.

The FAA PackSafe guidance says power banks up to 100Wh are allowed for personal use. Banks above 100Wh through 160Wh require airline approval and are limited to two. The FAA does not set a fixed quantity limit for personal-use batteries below 100Wh, but it explicitly warns that airlines may impose stricter limits.

Convert mAh to watt-hours

Use the nominal battery voltage printed on the bank:

Wh = (mAh / 1,000) x voltage

A 20,000mAh bank at 3.7V is 74Wh. A 27,000mAh bank at 3.7V is 99.9Wh, close enough to the ceiling that the manufacturer's printed Wh rating should decide the answer. A 30,000mAh bank at 3.7V is 111Wh and enters the approval or prohibition range.

What changed on March 27, 2026

ICAO amended its international dangerous-goods instructions for power banks. The accompanying IATA implementation guidance separates power banks from ordinary spare batteries and states that personal power banks:

1. Must be carried in carry-on baggage
2. Must not be recharged onboard the aircraft
3. Should not be used to recharge another portable electronic device onboard
4. Are limited to two per person
5. Must be protected from short circuit while not in use

The wording matters. ICAO prohibits recharging the power bank from aircraft power. IATA separately says passengers should not use the bank to charge another device. That second point is a recommendation in the international baseline, although individual airlines can make it a prohibition.

ICAO's change did not instantly create identical passenger rules everywhere. IATA says enforceability depends on each state's adoption process. Use the international baseline for planning, then follow the operating carrier's published policy.

The overhead-bin rule is airline-specific

There is no single FAA sentence banning every under-100Wh power bank from every overhead bin. However, several airlines now require banks to remain accessible because cabin crew can respond faster if a battery overheats.

• American Airlines permits two banks up to 100Wh and says to keep them under the seat or in the seatback pocket, not overhead.
• Delta permits two banks of up to 100Wh each, kept under the seat or in the seatback pocket, not overhead.
• United permits two portable chargers, kept on you or in your personal item, never in an overhead bin.
• JetBlue permits two banks up to 100Wh and bars them from overhead compartments.
• British Airways permits two banks up to 100Wh, stored in the seat pocket or a bag under the seat in front.
• Southwest permits one bank up to 100Wh, kept under the seat and visible while in use.
• Emirates permits one bank under 100Wh, bans all onboard use, and requires under-seat or seat-pocket storage.
• Qatar Airways permits two banks, each no more than 100Wh, and says a bank charging a device must not sit inside a bag or the overhead bin.

Airline power bank rules at a glance

Each row below was read on the airline's or regulator's own page on the date shown. The same rows power the power-bank flight checker and its downloadable CSV, so the table and the tool always agree. Scroll sideways on a phone to see every column.

The direction of travel is clear: across the carriers checked, the common rule is now 100Wh at most, two banks at most, nothing in the overhead bin, and no recharging the bank onboard.

How to pack a power bank

If a carry-on is taken at the gate and placed in the hold, remove every power bank first. The FAA specifically requires spare lithium batteries and portable rechargers to remain with the passenger in the cabin.

Which travel power banks stay below 100Wh

Most phone-sized banks are comfortably below the common limit. The Anker 10K power bank is labeled 37Wh. The laptop-capable Anker 737 PowerCore 24K is labeled 86.4Wh, leaving 13.6Wh of headroom below 100Wh.

Capacity alone does not make a bank legal on every itinerary. A carrier that permits only one bank still permits only one, even if both units are 37Wh. Compare charging speed, weight, and use case in our guide to the best travel power banks.

Source and update policy

This guide was checked against first-party regulator and airline policies on October 3, 2026. Changes since the July 15, 2026 check: Delta, JetBlue, and British Airways now cap passengers at two power banks, British Airways applies that limit on every flight rather than selected Asia routes, United publishes a two-charger limit, and IATA confirmed the 100-160Wh approval route for power banks ends January 1, 2027. We record what the source actually distinguishes: carrying, storing, recharging the bank, and using the bank are not interchangeable actions. If a policy is silent, we say it is silent rather than filling the gap with a general rule.

Where these numbers come from

• FAA PackSafe lithium-battery rules
• FAA airline passenger battery guidance
• ICAO announcement of the March 2026 amendment
• IATA 2026 implementation guidance
• Airline policies for American, Delta, United, Southwest, JetBlue, British Airways, Emirates, and Qatar Airways, linked row by row in the table above (checked October 3, 2026)

FAQ

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