New rules when flying mean lithium batteries can no longer be in checked bags, and must be carried on.

Big Changes to Flying in 2025

This year, we've seen some pretty big changes to flying, the biggest one being the new ID rule.  The REAL-ID law officially went into effect on May 7th this year, after 20 years of planning and setbacks.  This means to fly within the United States, you must have the REAL-ID version of your driver's license as your proof of identification.  They will no longer accept the standard state-issued license as your identification at airports.

There are a few reasons the law changed to requiring the REAL-ID for flying, and you can check that information out here.  However, I get it, it does seem like it's just an excuse for them to have to do more paperwork to give us our IDs.  Another new law for flying that has many people talking is the new lithium battery rule.

READ MORE: What Other Forms of Identification Work for Flying if You Don't Have the REAL-ID?

Lithium Batteries Are Used in Most Electronics

Just about all of our devices use lithium batteries these days, as they are the most common rechargeable battery.  Devices like cell phones, vapes, laptops, cameras, and more, virtually all use lithium batteries. So why are these items no longer allowed to go into your checked baggage at the airport? Well, it has to do with the fact that these types of batteries can sometimes be dangerous.

Lithium Batteries Can No Longer Be in Your Checked Baggage

Another new law that has many people talking is the law about lithium batteries.  Now, if you plan to travel with extra batteries for your devices or a power bank for your phone, these items need to go into your carry-on bag, and not your checked baggage.

The FAA released a statement that says the reason for this is that lithium batteries have a chance of catching fire, so keeping them in the carry-on is the safest way to travel, as the staff on board your flight is trained to handle it if something were to happen to your battery.

Lithium batteries are required to undergo safety testing, all lithium ion batteries are capable of overheating and undergoing a process called thermal runaway. Thermal runaway can occur without warning as a result of various factors, including if the battery is damaged, overheated, exposed to water, overcharged, or improperly packed. Thermal runaway can also occur on its own due to manufacturing defects.

Flight crews are trained to recognize and respond to lithium battery fires in the cabin. Passengers should notify flight crew immediately if their lithium battery or device is overheating, expanding, smoking or burning.

The FAA also says that all portable devices that use lithium batteries must be in your carry-on as well.

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A Scary Battery Situation

Back in 2017, my husband and I went to visit family in Massachusetts.  On the way to the airport, my husband's phone all of a sudden stopped working, and went into a "boot loop" where it kept getting stuck turning off and restarting, and turning off again, but would never fully come back on.   It was an annoying inconvenience, but we decided we'd just get him a new phone once we got to our destination, because he was due for an upgrade anyway.

Just after our plan took off and the seatbelt sign came off, Sam took his phone out of his carry-on to see if the boot loop had stopped, or if he could get his phone to at least shut off.  He looked at me and had a bit of a panicked look on his face and went "uh, feel my phone..."  We realized his phone was scorching hot.  Now this was nearly a decade ago, and we weren't sure what to do, but thankfully, everything worked out, and his phone battery eventually died, and the phone shut off for good.  But for a moment, we thought we were about to have a very scary situation, at a very bad time, and were afraid we'd end up on the no-fly list thanks to an angry Android device!

I am glad that crews are trained to handle these types of situations, since lithium batteries are so common these days!

H/T: US 105 FM- Attention Texas Travellers: This is What TSA Has Now Banned