A power bank is not treated like a laptop with its battery installed. Before packing for a private charter, separate spare batteries and portable chargers from the devices they power. Tell your charter contact what you intend to bring, including the battery rating and quantity, and ask the proposed direct carrier to confirm the packing and stowage requirements.
This guide covers ordinary personal electronics under U.S. passenger-baggage rules. It is not permission to carry an item. The operating carrier and any other countries on the itinerary may have stricter requirements. Mobility aids, medical equipment, commercial shipments and other special equipment need their own review.
Identify the battery, not just the bag
List each power bank, spare camera battery and other removable spare separately. For each item, provide the type, quantity and watt-hour rating shown on its label. Note whether the battery is installed in a device or carried separately. A battery-containing power bank or portable charger whose primary purpose is to power another device is treated as a spare battery under the U.S. rule. An ordinary wall charger without a battery is not a spare battery.
Use the manufacturer's marked watt-hour rating where available. A milliamp-hour number alone does not settle it: the voltage matters too. FAA guidance explains that watt-hours equal volts multiplied by amp-hours; divide milliamp-hours by 1,000 before using that calculation. If the label is missing or unclear, send the model and manufacturer information for review rather than guessing.
For an ordinary lithium-ion personal-electronics battery, the U.S. passenger exception permits up to 100 Wh per battery. Above 100 Wh and up to 160 Wh, operator approval is required; no more than two individually protected spare batteries in that band may be carried per person. Do not apply that limit as an approval for a portable power station, mobility device or other equipment. Those items may fall outside this ordinary personal-electronics exception or have different conditions.
Keep spares in accessible cabin baggage
Spare lithium batteries and power banks belong in carry-on baggage, not checked baggage. Protect each spare from short circuit and damage. Original packaging, an appropriate protective case, or insulated terminals and individual protective packaging can keep exposed contacts away from keys, coins and other metal objects.
On a charter, the important question is where the bag will actually be loaded. If a bag is moved to checked baggage at planeside, remove its spare lithium batteries and power banks and keep them with you in cabin baggage. Do not assume that a familiar suitcase, an internal compartment or the absence of an airline bag tag changes the requirement. Ask the crew where the prepared items should be stowed and remain accessible.
A device with its battery installed is a different case. FAA recommends keeping personal electronics in accessible carry-on baggage. Where a lithium-powered device is accepted in checked baggage, it must be completely switched off, not asleep or hibernating, and protected against damage and accidental activation. Confirm the actual loading arrangement rather than treating the general allowance as a carrier's approval.
Flag special equipment before the flight
Tell your charter contact about battery-powered luggage, professional camera equipment, tools, portable power stations, medical devices and mobility aids before departure day. Give the carrier the exact item and battery information instead of grouping everything under "electronics."
Battery-equipped luggage has specific U.S. conditions. For checked carriage, removing the battery and carrying it under the spare-battery rules is the usual route, with a narrow exception for very small batteries. Do not assume that every smart bag has a removable battery or meets that exception. Have the carrier review the model and rating.
Wheelchairs and other battery-powered mobility aids have separate requirements that depend on the battery and the design of the device. Do not apply a phone or power-bank limit to a mobility aid, or remove its battery without agreed instructions. Arrange that review with the carrier in advance.
Do not pack a damaged or recalled battery as though protective wrapping makes it acceptable. FAA warns against carrying batteries or devices likely to spark or generate dangerous heat. Check an uncertain item with the manufacturer and the carrier before bringing it for loading. If a battery or device becomes hot, expands, smokes or burns aboard the aircraft, alert the flight crew immediately.
Confirm acceptance separately from physical fit
A case can fit through the baggage door and still need a different packing or acceptance decision because of its contents. Keep the battery list alongside the measured bag list, but do not treat confirmation of one as confirmation of the other.
Before the trip, ask for confirmation of:
- the devices and spare batteries accepted for the affected flights;
- any required operator approval for the stated ratings and quantities;
- how spares must be protected and which bag stays in the cabin;
- instructions for a device or smart bag that needs battery removal;
- any further restrictions for another carrier or country on the itinerary.
If the aircraft, operating carrier, equipment or itinerary changes, raise the battery plan again. A previous acceptance does not automatically apply to a revised trip. Follow the flight crew's final instructions at loading and during the flight.
For dimensions, payload and storage questions, use our private-jet baggage planning guide. Keep this equipment list within the complete group charter brief. For an event's complete equipment and movement brief, use team and event travel.
Jet Partners arranges charter services and is not a direct air carrier. The properly licensed direct air carrier identified for an accepted trip operates the flight and retains operational control.
Request a trip-specific charter proposal with the itinerary, measured bag list and battery-powered equipment disclosed.
