Items That Should Not Go in Checked Luggage

Some things are kept out of a checked bag because losing them would ruin the trip. Others are kept out because it is against the rules, and the rules exist because a hold is a place nobody can reach in flight. Knowing which is which matters: the first list is advice you may weigh, and the second is not.

What You Need to Know

There are three separate reasons an item should not be in the hold, and it is worth keeping them apart.

Because aviation rules prohibit it

Lithium batteries are the main case, and the rules are specific. The Federal Aviation Administration states that power banks, spare batteries and lithium batteries must remain with passengers in the aircraft cabin, and that lithium-powered rechargeable devices with a capacity of more than 160 watt hours (large power banks, power stations and generators) are not allowed on passenger aircraft at all. For loose spares the limits are tighter still: no more than two spare batteries, each not exceeding 100 watt hours and 12 volts.

The reason is straightforward. A lithium battery fire in the cabin can be seen and dealt with. The same fire in a cargo hold cannot.

Because it cannot be replaced

Passports, entry permission, medication and prescriptions. A delayed bag is an inconvenience unless it contains one of these, in which case it is a trip-ending problem happening in a country where you have no documents.

Because the airline will not pay for it

Airline conditions of carriage typically exclude or heavily limit liability for money, jewelry, electronics, cameras and other valuables carried in checked baggage. A claim for a stolen laptop from a hold bag is generally not a claim. Travel insurance may fill part of the gap and frequently has its own single-item limit.

What to Do Before Your Trip

• Take every battery out of the checked bag, including the power bank you forgot was in a side pocket.
• Check the watt-hour rating on anything large: it is printed on the device, and above 160 Wh it cannot fly.
• Move documents, medication and valuables to the cabin before anything else goes in.
• Check the destination’s own prohibited list, which is a different question from the airline’s.
• Check whether you may bring a drone if you are carrying one; 15 destinations address them in local law and several prohibit them outright.
• Read your insurance policy’s single-item limit before deciding what to travel with at all.

Important Considerations

The country matters as much as the airline

An item can be perfectly legal to fly with and illegal to bring into the country you are flying to. Drones are the clearest current example, and the corpus shows how uneven it is: 15 destinations address them in their local laws, several requiring a permit and some prohibiting them entirely. Satellite phones and GPS equipment are restricted in 10. Firearms and ammunition appear in the local laws of 76.

None of that is a list you can memorise. It is a reason to check your destination before packing anything unusual.

Medication is on both lists

It should be in the cabin because you cannot do without it, and it may be restricted at the destination regardless of where in the aircraft it traveled. Carry it in original labeled packaging with the prescription, and check the destination’s position separately.

Gate-checking

If your cabin bag is taken at the gate on a full flight, the batteries have to come out of it first. Keeping them in a small personal item avoids the problem entirely.

The rules apply on the way home too

A power bank bought at the destination is subject to the same rules on the return flight, and a souvenir that was legal to buy may not be legal to export or to import. Ask before paying rather than at the airport.

Tips for Group Travelers

• Send the battery rule in writing before anyone packs, in plain words: power banks and spare batteries in the cabin, never in the hold.
• Ask whether anyone is bringing a drone, and check the destination before the answer becomes a problem at a border.
• Remind the group that medication travels with its owner, in original packaging.
• Tell people the airline will not pay for valuables in a checked bag, which is more persuasive than "keep it with you".
• Check the destination’s prohibited list once, for the group, rather than leaving twenty people to look it up.

Common Mistakes to Avoid

• A power bank in a checked bag. The single most common breach, and it is found.
• Assuming a battery is small enough not to count. The rating is printed on it; read it.
• Medication in the hold because the cabin bag was full.
• A laptop or camera in a checked bag, where the airline’s liability largely does not reach.
• Packing a drone without checking the destination. Several countries confiscate them on arrival.
• Forgetting the return leg, and the rules that apply to what you bought.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why can a power bank not go in a checked bag?

Because a lithium battery fire in a cargo hold cannot be reached or extinguished in flight, whereas one in the cabin can. The FAA requires power banks, spare batteries and lithium batteries to remain with passengers in the aircraft cabin. It is a safety rule, not an airline policy, and it is applied consistently.

Is there a size limit on batteries?

Yes. Lithium-powered rechargeable devices above 160 watt hours are not allowed on a passenger aircraft at all. For loose spare batteries the limits are tighter: no more than two spares, each not exceeding 100 watt hours and 12 volts. The rating is printed on the battery or device; check it rather than estimating.

What about my laptop and camera?

Keep them in the cabin. Airline conditions of carriage generally exclude or severely limit liability for electronics and valuables in checked baggage, so if they are damaged or stolen from a hold bag there is usually no claim to make. Check your travel insurance’s single-item limit as well.

Can I take a drone?

It depends entirely on the destination. 15 of the 211 destinations covered address drones in their local laws, with requirements ranging from a permit to an outright prohibition, and confiscation on arrival is a real outcome. Check with your destination’s embassy or consulate before you pack one.

What else is restricted at the destination rather than by the airline?

Satellite phones and GPS equipment are addressed in the local laws of 10 destinations, firearms and ammunition in 76, and medication in 30. That is not a list to memorise; it is a reason to check your own destination before packing anything beyond clothes and toiletries.

Related Travel Tips

• Packing and luggage, the section this guide belongs to.
• What to Pack in a Carry-On. Where all of this ends up instead.
• International Airline Baggage Rules. Allowances, weight and fees.
• Customs and Immigration Basics, for what may cross a border at all.

Plan Your Trip With LABUSA Travel

Most travelers meet these rules at a check-in desk. Knowing which of them apply to your itinerary before you pack is part of what planning a trip properly means, particularly for a group where one breach delays everybody.

Talk with a LABUSA Travel advisor about a trip you are considering, or browse our destination guides for what a specific country restricts.

Verify Before You Travel

What may be carried on an aircraft is set by aviation regulators and airlines. Confirm the current position with the FAA’s PackSafe guidance and with your airline, including on the return leg. What may enter a country is set by that country: confirm it with its embassy or consulate and check the U.S. Department of State country information. The counts on this page describe what the State Department’s country information addresses, not what any one border will do.