THAI bans external battery packs on board

[Lite Beer]

THAI bans external battery packs on board

BANGKOK, 14 September 2014 (NNT) - Thai Airways International has put a ban on external battery packs on all of its aircraft for safety reason.

Citing the safety standards of the International Air Transport Association (IATA), Thai Airways has announced that passengers will no longer be allowed to bring on board external battery backs, commonly known as Power Banks.

THAI said the ban on Power Bank which is popular for mobile phones and electronic communication devices is applicable for both hand-carry and check-in baggage, for safer reason.

Thailand’s flag-carrier’s latest ban following reports of explosion of such devices on other international airlines that was caused by overheated lithium-ion batteries.

Considering the power bank as a hazardous item, THAI is cautious that similar incidents may happen on its aircraft and lead to fire accident.

For further information, it is that suggesting passengers contact its staff during check-in.

-- NNT 2014-09-14

[halloween]

Bit late at check-in, unless you don't object to binning it.

What's the big safety difference between a power bank and the original battery? I carry a spare for my laptop....................

Edited September 14, 2014 by halloween

[Prbkk]

The greater danger is cargo ( the Fedex crash). On any flight there are several hundred ( if not more) lithium ion batteries. They are in cell phones, computers, ipads, watches. The power back is just a lithium ion battery packaked differntly. In the miniscule number of cases in which lithium ion batteries have caused a problem in the cabin, they have been ( as far as I recall) computer batteries. The incidents, while frightening, were easily contained .

Thai is the first airline to do this.

[Upnotover]

[livingthedream]

Well I won't be flying Thai then and probably quite a few more people will be put off by this latest safety policy. What's wrong with taking a completely discharged battery pack in your hand luggage? It's probably the cheap Chinese made battery packs that are "exploding" anyway -

I am all for safety aboard airlines but going down this route you might as well ban mobile phones, laptops and tablets as well ! They all have lithium ion batteries.

Sent from my iPhone using ThaiVisa app

[namdocmai]

Smart move, some will have official brandname powerpacks but others will have the cheapo made in China ones. Even the official ones aren't safe.

Also they should ban the copy copy Iphones but how can they check on those?

[metisdead]

26) The Bangkok Post and Phuketwan do not allow quotes from their news articles or other material to appear on Thaivisa.com. Neither do they allow links to their publications. Posts from members containing quotes from or links to Bangkok Post or Phuketwan publications will be deleted from the forum.

One post in violation of the above has been removed.

[MaxLee]

So wait a minute, does that mean I cannot take my external battery for my smartphones on THAI Airways anymore?

My god, that means, I better shut down my iphone during the entire vacation....

Well, another shot in the foot to THAI Airways, you will lose a lot of teenies and young adult customers....

Edited September 14, 2014 by MaxLee

[BKKBrit]

Forget John Doe's battery pack...after watching this documentary last week, I will not be flying the B787 when a scientist from MIT says Boeing's fix for their lithium-ion battery fires isn't enough. If you don't have an hour to spend watching..just the first 10 minutes is enough to see what a 787's lithium-ion battery is capable of.

http://www.aljazeera.com/investigations/boeing787/

Edited September 14, 2014 by BKKBrit

[JoePai]

So wait a minute, does that mean I cannot take my external battery for my smartphones on THAI Airways anymore?

My god, that means, I better shut down my iphone during the entire vacation....

Well, another shot in the foot to THAI Airways, you will lose a lot of teenies and young adult customers....

What a great excuse - now we can all enjoy our vacations without being bothered with phone calls

[Guest]

I like how IATA uses correct units for the battery charges, not the mWh which is commonly used on consumer devices.

One question is: Is an powerbank battery considered as a spare or in equipment type?

[ChrisY1]

I thought a couple of hours ago they were ok to take on board....to save Thais the stress of having phone batteries run out on long hauls.......

Crazy reporting sometimes.......

[harrry]

http://www.abc.net.au/news/2014-09-08/undeclared-batteries-sparked-plane-fire-at-melbourne-airport3a/5728574

just about speaks for itself.

[ChrisY1]

The greater danger is cargo ( the Fedex crash). On any flight there are several hundred ( if not more) lithium ion batteries. They are in cell phones, computers, ipads, watches. The power back is just a lithium ion battery packaked differntly. In the miniscule number of cases in which lithium ion batteries have caused a problem in the cabin, they have been ( as far as I recall) computer batteries. The incidents, while frightening, were easily contained .

Thai is the first airline to do this.

Qantas has bans on external lithium batteries also......so maybe others do also

[Prbkk]

So wait a minute, does that mean I cannot take my external battery for my smartphones on THAI Airways anymore?

My god, that means, I better shut down my iphone during the entire vacation....

Well, another shot in the foot to THAI Airways, you will lose a lot of teenies and young adult customers....

Why is Thai always the last for innovation to attract customers but the first to do something to turn them away? Bizarre.

[Prbkk]

The greater danger is cargo ( the Fedex crash). On any flight there are several hundred ( if not more) lithium ion batteries. They are in cell phones, computers, ipads, watches. The power back is just a lithium ion battery packaked differntly. In the miniscule number of cases in which lithium ion batteries have caused a problem in the cabin, they have been ( as far as I recall) computer batteries. The incidents, while frightening, were easily contained .

Thai is the first airline to do this.

Qantas has bans on external lithium batteries also......so maybe others do also

OK, if they do, they don't enforce it. ...I took one on a QANTAS plane yesterday.

[AnotherOneAmerican]

Fit USB sockets in all aircraft seats, then we won't need batteries.

[Upnotover]

The greater danger is cargo ( the Fedex crash). On any flight there are several hundred ( if not more) lithium ion batteries. They are in cell phones, computers, ipads, watches. The power back is just a lithium ion battery packaked differntly. In the miniscule number of cases in which lithium ion batteries have caused a problem in the cabin, they have been ( as far as I recall) computer batteries. The incidents, while frightening, were easily contained .

Thai is the first airline to do this.

Qantas has bans on external lithium batteries also......so maybe others do also

OK, if they do, they don't enforce it. ...I took one on a QANTAS plane yesterday.

From Qantas website...

Spare lithium ion batteries with a Watt-hour rating exceeding 100Wh but not exceeding 160Wh for consumer electronic devices. Maximum of two spare batteries may be carried in carry-on baggage only. These batteries must be individually protected to prevent short circuits.

[Guest]

Today's article on Bangkok Post suggested the opposite, compared to the original post. Power banks are allowed on carry on luggage up to 160Wh.

Rule 26) I'm not quoting nor linking to the BP article.

[BKKSnowBird]

Fit USB sockets in all aircraft seats, then we won't need batteries.

My note 2 can easly go a 12 hour flight even if I used it the whole time but why would I. I like to sleep!

[alocacoc]

Good to know. So i will avoid Thai Airways in the Future.

[chooka]

Glad I saw this as I fly next week and have 2 packs valued at $100AUD Would not have been happy if I had to throw $200 into the rubbish bin

[nkg]

Ha ha, they are totally clueless.

Since internal batteries are equally dangerous, THAI's next masterstroke will be to ban notebooks and mobile phones from their planes.

"I don't understand why flight bookings halved this year, after all we are the safest airline in Thailand!"

[Upnotover]

....and from Thai Airways facebook page...

[Guest]

Thanks Upnotover for bringing the facts to the discussion.

[Bluespunk]

"THAI bans external battery packs on board"

Are fake ones allowed?

[alocacoc]

Glad I saw this as I fly next week and have 2 packs valued at $100AUD Would not have been happy if I had to throw $200 into the rubbish bin

Yeah, the rubbish bins. There are also bins were the travelers have to put their bottles in it just before the security check. Probably the most dangerous place in the Airport.

[rebeli]

Smart move, some will have official brandname powerpacks but others will have the cheapo made in China ones. Even the official ones aren't safe.

Also they should ban the copy copy Iphones but how can they check on those?

When you go flying they should undress you totally and give you a clean coveralls from the airline to wear and forbid you to take anything else with you, including check-in luggage. That will make the world a safer place.

[brucegoniners]

Crappy airline gets crappier.

[CNXBKKMAN]

Is this not related to latest security clampdowns in the UK USA airports where mobile phones or computers that must be turned on and shown to be working as you pass through the security check? If you have a phone and the battery is flat so it won't power up it's not allowed on the flight. These batteries and power banks have some kind of potential to used as bombs onboard. The authorities have only just become aware of it. I haven't paid much attention to this as I am not flying in the UK or US at the moment. I think this is the angle that TG's ban may be coming from as well as the long established fire hazard.