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.

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 accessible, not overhead.
• Delta says power banks should stay under the seat or in the seatback pocket, not overhead.
• 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 requires accessible cabin storage.

The airline rules table and downloadable dataset records capacity, count, storage, use, source, and verification date separately.

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 PowerCore 10K 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 July 15, 2026. 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.

Primary references:

• FAA PackSafe lithium-battery rules
• FAA airline passenger battery guidance
• ICAO announcement of the March 2026 amendment
• IATA 2026 implementation guidance

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