Advice for Photographers: Traveling with camera batteries on airplanes

[Overgaard]

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I just finished a new article on traveling with camera batteries on airlines. 

 

"Advice for Photographers: Camera Batteries on Airplanes"

 

 

 

 

[Peter Walker]

I have never had issues with carry-on batteries, even quite large ones for my underwater video lights.  Just luck, I guess.

 

However, I also had a very frustrating experience with batteries and DHL.

 

Before the SL was launched, I was seduced by the idea of a 42 megapixel sensor in the Sony A7Rii.  I put myself on the waiting list at my regular camera store in Singapore, Cathay Photo, and back-ordered one from Amazon.  One afternoon, Cathay Photo rang me to say it had arrived.  I went straight to the shop and bought it.  Two hours later, just as I logged onto Amazon to cancel the back-order, I received a notice that it had just shipped from Amazon - via DHL.  Ouch!   I was going to have two A7Rii cameras.  Too late to stop it, my plan was to intercept it at DHL's Singapore office and immediately turn it around and send it back to Amazon.  

 

Two days later, all seemed to be going well at the DHL office.  I didn't even open the external packaging.  I explained that I was sending it back to the sender.  I filled out the shipping form and was about to pay when the guy asked me, "are there any batteries inside?".  I answered that it would just have the one small standard battery, still all wrapped and sealed.  That's when the trouble started.  

 

After 45 minutes of arguing the ludicrousness of the situation and getting up the ladder to the local general manager, I just kept hitting a brick wall.  They told me that the shipper, being a registered account client of DHL would have had blanket permission for shipping batteries (up to a certain size).  But, as a walk-in customer, I did not have that permission.  They told me that I would need to (1) become a registered account customer of DHL, (2) apply for general permission to ship batteries, (3) show them the battery specifications from the manufacturer.  

 

Trying very hard to stay calm, I tried arguing the logic that they had just shipped it all the way to me and all I was asking was to send it back - surely the permissions for the outward journey could also be applied to the return journey.  The parcel had never left their possession, never been opened.  But, I was arguing with people who could not think outside of "policy" - even though their policy didn't cover this "immediate return to sender" situation.

 

I realised that I had to regroup and come back.

 

After talking to several people at Sony, I was able to download the battery spec from an obscure Sony website.  So I went back to DHL.

 

But now DHL told me that it would take several weeks to open a registered account and get the battery shipping permission.  This would probably take it outside the time window for Amazon's return refund policy.

 

So, I called UPS.  They came to my office, took a copy of the Sony battery spec, looked at the battery, repackaged the camera and shipped it back to Amazon.  No hassles.

 

Later DHL wrote me an apologetic letter and sent me a voucher for $50.  But, I have not used them since.

 

The final irony is that the Sony batteries are one of several disappointments with that camera - barely strong enough to power 80 photos, I can't see how they could possibly bring down a cargo plane...  

 

Regards

Peter

 

 

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[FlashGordonPhotography]

Two corrections. The limit to multiple (3 or more) carry on batteries is 100 watts. That means 1-99.9 watts, not 100.9 watts as stated in the article. 100-160 watts is the two battery limit. The FAA does quote 101 watts but almost every airline I've used uses 99.9 watts as their checked battery figure. To the best of my knowledge Australia and Europe all adhere to 99.9 watts.

 

Secondly, you NEVER add water to lithium. Lithium is particularly difficult to extinguish because of this. Special dry retardants are normal. Feel free to Google what happens when lithium and water react.

 

I know this because the drone batteries I carry when travelling are specifically limited to 99.9 watts to meet the regulations. My largest drone can't go by plane as the batteries are close to 500 watts each. When I did my commercial drone pilots course we spent a full day on batteries, battery safety and the law.

 

Camera batteries are rarely a problem. Brand name camera batteries have charging balancers and protection circuitry to keep the risk very low. However there are lots of lithium batteries (especially lithium polymer batteries like those used in some drones and batteries used in those cheap portable power banks) that have poor or no balancers or protection circuits so the airlines now just apply blanket regulations. Especially with lithium polymer puncturing a cell is enough to start a lithium battery fire. If one starts there simply won't be enough time to extinguish it before it reaches critical temperature. It takes a second or so to be at a critical temperature and burn rate. Not what you want on a plane.

 

Gordon

Edited July 9, 2016 by FlashGordonPhotography

[Overgaard]

Two corrections. The limit to multiple (3 or more) carry on batteries is 100 watts. That means 1-99.9 watts, not 100.9 watts as stated in the article. 100-160 watts is the two battery limit. The FAA does quote 101 watts but almost every airline I've used uses 99.9 watts as their checked battery figure. To the best of my knowledge Australia and Europe all adhere to 99.9 watts.

 

Secondly, you NEVER add water to lithium. Lithium is particularly difficult to extinguish because of this. Special dry retardants are normal. Feel free to Google what happens when lithium and water react.

 

I know this because the drone batteries I carry when travelling are specifically limited to 99.9 watts to meet the regulations. My largest drone can't go by plane as the batteries are close to 500 watts each. When I did my commercial drone pilots course we spent a full day on batteries, battery safety and the law.

 

Camera batteries are rarely a problem. Brand name camera batteries have charging balancers and protection circuitry to keep the risk very low. However there are lots of lithium batteries (especially lithium polymer batteries like those used in some drones and batteries used in those cheap portable power banks) that have poor or no balancers or protection circuits so the airlines now just apply blanket regulations. Especially with lithium polymer puncturing a cell is enough to start a lithium battery fire. If one starts there simply won't be enough time to extinguish it before it reaches critical temperature. It takes a second or so to be at a critical temperature and burn rate. Not what you want on a plane.

 

Gordon

 

 

Thanks, the FAA in fact instructs flight attendants to use water or soda pop for small batteries. For larger batteries, it's a different procedure. I guess only when they can drown the whole computer or device in water they are allowed to use water. 

[wlaidlaw]

The only problem I have had with this sort of thing is the FSA removed a brand new and sealed and boxed 50ml  bottle of Eclipse E2 Sensor Cleaning fluid from my checked luggage on a flight from Washington to the UK. However they did not remove a bottle of after shave cologne which is equally inflammable - go figure!

 

I had my hand luggage searched at Gatwick a couple of weeks ago. I knew I would as I had two small cans of corned beef (one of these things you just can't buy in France and I am very fond of corned beef hash, if I need a quick supper). The very pleasant security man, said that he had guessed that is what it would be. He was more interested in the SL, as he said it was the first one he had seen. He asked if the picture quality warranted the size and weight. Of course I said "no but carrying it around keeps me fit."

 

Wilson

[jaapv]

It is a nice story about the Air Malaysia flight, but a bit apocryphal; the regulations for batteries existed long before the flight crashed. Also, airlines may adhere to FSA rules, but airports often do not. For instance, Kenya Airways allows a lighter on board, but informed me in a rather rueful mail that Jomo Kenyatta Nairobi Airport will not allow them through their security checks as they follow their own safety regulations.

[wlaidlaw]

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I believe one of the commonest causes of a lithium battery fire on board planes, is where people fall asleep and their tablet or phone slips down the the side of the seat. At some later point, half-awake, they recline their seat and "crunch", which can include crushing and short circuiting the lithium battery. Guilty as charged m'Lud. I did it flying to Taiwan 18 months ago, and my then brand new iPad Air2 has a dent in the back cover as a result. Luckily I realised immediately what was happening, removed the seat cushion and extracted my iPad before major damage occurred. 

 

Wilson

[Overgaard]

I believe one of the commonest causes of a lithium battery fire on board planes, is where people fall asleep and their tablet or phone slips down the the side of the seat. At some later point, half-awake, they recline their seat and "crunch", which can include crushing and short circuiting the lithium battery. Guilty as charged m'Lud. I did it flying to Taiwan 18 months ago, and my then brand new iPad Air2 has a dent in the back cover as a result. Luckily I realised immediately what was happening, removed the seat cushion and extracted my iPad before major damage occurred. 

 

Wilson

 

 

No doubt a lot of equipment get damaged int he chairs. Lost a couple of earphones myself on that account. On the batteries, I think it's all sorts of things. On the FAA website they show fires in the luggage department (above the seats) and similar. I guess any incident that would make a short-circuit, like pressure, old equipment, loose cables, etc. 

 

Thanks for the story on the iPad. Will keep an eye out for that!