American Airlines tightens rules for portable chargers amid fire concerns

MoneyWatch American Airlines tightens rules for portable chargers amid lithium battery concerns .chip { background-image: url('/fly/bundles/cbsnewscore/images/chip-bgd/chip-bgd-moneywatch.jpg'); } By Megan Cerullo Megan Cerullo Reporter, MoneyWatch Megan Cerullo is a New York-based reporter for CBS MoneyWatch covering small business, workplace, health care, consumer spending and personal finance topics. She regularly appears on CBS News 24/7 to discuss her reporting. Read Full Bio Megan Cerullo April 28, 2026 / 3:29 PM EDT / CBS News Add CBS News on Google American Airlines this week will introduce new restrictions on portable chargers that passengers can bring on flights for their electronic devices.Starting Friday, American Airlines customers may carry only two power banks, which must be visible to airline personnel while in use on flights. When not in use, the chargers must be within a passenger's reach on the aircraft and may not be stowed in an overhead bin, the airline told CBS News. American Airlines is introducing the policy change after nearly two dozen lithium battery incidents on flights operated by commercial airlines this year. In 2025, nearly 100 such battery incidents occurred, mostly involving battery packs and vape devices, according to FAA data."We know our customers rely on portable chargers to keep devices powered throughout their journey. To support safety on board while ensuring our customers continue to have the ability to charge when on the go, American is requiring customers to keep these devices easily accessible during flight," the airline said in a statement to CBS News. "Additionally, new limits also apply to the number of portable chargers customers can bring onboard and their watt-hour capacity."Southwest Airlines also recently changed its policy on battery packs, limiting customers to one per customer. What does American Airlines allow?American Airlines passengers are limited to two portable chargers, each of which may not e...