Traveling with Laptop batteries? Read this change with airlines

Government Puts Restrictions On Lithium Batteries on Flights

By ROBERT DANIEL
December 31, 2007 11:59 a.m.

Flying well-equipped for business and pleasure gets a bit more complicated Tuesday, as the U.S. Transportation Department bars travelers from packing loose lithium batteries in checked luggage.

The move is designed to help minimize the risk that such batteries could overheat and catch fire on board, the agency's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration said in a statement Friday.

The new rules beginning Jan. 1 say travelers can bring a laptop computer, digital camera, cellphone and other equipment on board or in checked luggage if their lithium batteries are installed in the items.

And fliers can bring spare batteries in carry-on luggage if they're stored in plastic bags or if they're in the original retail packaging. But travelers can bring only as many as two such spare batteries, and each must be packed separately.

Read more from the complete article from the Wall Street Journal online.