Here we go again: TSA's New Rules on Batteries

Ok, as if the new rules for flying weren't complicated enough, the TSA has gone and done it again. Just in time to catch holiday travelers returning home with a sack full of new electronics, the Trasportation Security Administration announced new restrictions on loose lithium batteries in checked luggage.

This time around, the TSA says it's a question of fire safety. Here's their rationale:

Lithium-ion batteries, often found in laptop computers, differ from primary lithium batteries, which are often used in cameras. Some newer AA-size batteries are also primary lithium.

While there is no explosion hazard associated with either kind of battery, the Federal Aviation Administration has studied fire hazards associated with both primary and lithium-ion cells, and their extensive research is publicly available. As a result of this research, the FAA no longer allows large, palletized shipments of these batteries to be transported as cargo on passenger aircraft.

The research also shows that an explosion will not result from shorting or damaging either lithium-ion or primary lithium batteries. Both are, however, extremely flammable. Primary lithium batteries cannot be extinguished with firefighting agents normally carried on aircraft, whereas lithium-ion batteries are easily extinguished by most common extinguishing agents, including those carried on board commercial aircraft.

It seems we're going to have to check in with feds every time we check in at the gate. The traveler concierge at www.airambulancecard.com has links to the TSA's latest releases and other great travel resources.