Can you bring a laptop charger on a plane or more precisely can you carry your charger in checked-in baggage? This is a question that many people have when they are preparing to fly.
The answer, unfortunately, is not a simple one. It depends on the type of charger. On most domestic flights, phones and laptop chargers that don’t contain a lithium battery are allowed. It doesn’t matter if they’re wireless or plug-in types; you can pack them in both hands and checked luggage.
You can keep laptop chargers in check-in baggage, but some chargers contain batteries, and most people know that batteries are risky. You cannot keep such in check-in baggage.
In this blog post, we will discuss the rules and regulations around bringing laptop chargers on planes.
Why laptop chargers are not allowed in check-in luggage
The reason why laptop chargers are not allowed in check-in luggage is because of lithium-ion batteries that might be inside the charger even though chargers with batteries are somewhat rare.
Lithium-ion batteries are capable of suffering breaches and producing short circuits that can cause fires, the fire can also light up the cargo and put the plane on fire.
Despite the fact that the number of batteries that fail to the point of causing a fire is minor. In this regard, the chances of an onboard battery failing and causing a fire are quite low.
However, because a fire on a flying plane has the potential to be extremely dangerous, most airlines are unwilling to take that chance.
This is why laptops are usually not permitted in check-in luggage. The battery in a laptop presents a fire risk as well.
Why Should You Keep Your Laptop Chargers in hand on Baggage?
While traditional wired chargers are permitted in check-in baggage, it is not a good idea. Most airlines require their passengers to transport electronic devices in hand-on luggage.
They do this for several reasons:
1-Safty of your products
Airlines don’t want you to lose your laptop or have it stolen from checked-in baggage.
Airports are busy. They cannot watch your luggage all the time. It is much easier to keep an eye on your laptop and charger when they are with you.
This is why it is best to keep your laptop and laptop charger with you in your hand-on baggage when flying.
Instead, if you put expensive products like phones and laptops in check-in baggage you could lose them.
2-To prevent them from breaking
If you put your laptop in checked-in baggage, it is more likely to get damaged. This is because most airlines will not handle your language with care. They will just throw it on the plane.
And if it breaks then the only thing that you can do is to buy a new one. You can not expect that they will replace it for you.
This is why you should keep your laptop in hand-on baggage. In this way, you can protect them from any damage by keeping them with you.
3-To prevent fire
As said earlier that a laptop charger with a battery is very rare but if you have such then it should be kept with you in hand-on baggage.
Lithium-ion batteries are known to cause fires. If there is a fire in check-in baggage, it will be very difficult to put it out.
This is why some airlines might want you to keep your charger in a hands-on language along with your laptop.
Do you have to take out your laptop charger at the airport?
TSA has stated that you do not have to take out your laptop or any other electronics from your bag at the airport. You can keep them in your bag and send them through the X-ray machine.
However, if the TSA officer wants to take a closer look at your laptop, they will ask you to take it out of your bag. They might also ask you to turn on your laptop to prove that it is working.
How can you carry your laptop charger?
You can carry your laptop charger any way you want if it doesn’t contain any kind of battery.
But it is to keep your charger in handheld luggage so that it doesn’t get damaged or lost.
This is especially true if you are not sure if the charger has a battery and you don’t know whether your airline will allow you to keep it in the check-in baggage.
Conclusion
I hope you found this article helpful. In conclusion, you can definitely bring a laptop charger on a plane even in check-in luggage.
Laptop chargers are not a big threat. Most airlines won’t pay much attention to it. You can keep them in any way you want.
But it is better to keep them in hand in language along with the laptop especially if you are not sure if the charger has any kind of battery. It will also be safer for your laptop and charger.