@creasey wrote:
I am traveling to Jamaica with emergency supplies for individuals impacted by the latest hurricane. One of the items being requested is Solar/Battery powered lanterns with a Li Ion Battery. Each battery is 14.8 Wh and are permanently installed. Can these items be in the checked baggage? I have checked the TSA site as well as the Southwest policies for batteries. The majority of the policies only refer to "spare" batteries that must be in carry-on only baggage.
I have 8 of these https://www.costco.com/duracell-2000-lumen-tri-power-lantern.product.4000227411.html
Greetings and blessings for your humanitarian support!
Generally speaking, if the lantern's internal battery is securely installed and less than 100Wh and the device is protected from activation during transport, it can be in checked baggage without limitation for personal use. However, since the intent of transporting and importing these lights into Jamacia is for emergency supply distribution, things can get a little tricky.
This article should help:
For lithium batteries that are installed in a device (laptop, cell phone, camera, etc.), see FAA regulations for "portable electronic devices, containing batteries".
https://www.tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/whatcanibring/items/lithium-batteries-100-watt-hours-o...
Here's what the FAA has to say:
When portable electronic devices powered by lithium batteries are in checked baggage, they must be completely powered off and protected to prevent unintentional activation or damage.
Most consumer personal electronic devices containing batteries are allowed in carry-on and checked baggage, including but not limited to cell phones, smart phones, data loggers, PDAs, electronic games, tablets, laptop computers, cameras, camcorders, watches, calculators, etc. This covers typical dry cell batteries, lithium metal, and lithium ion batteries for consumer electronics (AA, AAA, C, D, button cell, camera batteries, laptop batteries, etc.)
https://www.faa.gov/hazmat/packsafe/portable-electronic-devices-with-batteries
A keyword is "personal". That being said, I think the FAA has limitations if the lanterns are being distributed:
Quantity limits: There are no quantity limits for "personal use*," except that larger lithium ion batteries and spare nonspillable wet (gel cell, absorbed electrolyte) batteries are limited to two per person. For size restrictions on lithium metal, lithium ion, and nonspillable wet (gel cell, absorbed electrolyte) batteries, see separate "Spare batteries" entries in this table or consult "Airline Passengers and Batteries" link below. * "Personal use" does not include items for resale or distribution.
I'm not able to locate a definitive answer on this beyond these published articles; also, the lanterns would most likely need to be declared to Jamaica Customs Agency upon arrival. I would send a DM to AskTSA via Twitter/X to confirm and let TSA know that these lanterns are intended to be transported as emergency supplies to be distributed. Also, I would check with the Jamaica Customs Agency regarding the import/declaration process of the lanterns for the intention of importing and distributing as an emergency supply.
https://www.jacustoms.gov.jm/contact-us-1
I think these two agencies would be your go-to places. Hope this helps!
