If the battery fails, you are stuck having to buy and retro-fit replacement parts. Some other luggage companies build the power bank into the luggage, which limits you to using their battery pack only. Instead of juggling with cords or awkward push buttons, your power bank is stored in a dedicated compartment, easily accessed through an external zippered pocket.Īnother great thing about the design of Travelpro® USB Luggage is how adaptable it is. Travelpro® luggage with USB ports keeps you and your bags connected and compliant at once. Luggage with USB charging ports is super convenient and lets you charge your devices wherever you are without fumbling around for the battery pack. To power up devices, just plug a cord into the external USB port. The term “USB Luggage” refers to luggage with USB ports built into the design of the bag.įor charging convenience, the USB port is located on the bag’s exterior, while the battery pack is stored neatly away, providing power to the port through a cord inside the bag. Carry-on suitcases with chargers and removable battery packs are also good to go. Instead, passengers must remove any batteries from their checked luggage to be carried onboard with them in the cabin. Today, power banks, backup battery packs and all other lithium-ion batteries continue to be expressly prohibited in the cargo area where luggage is held under the plane. Meanwhile, luggage with features like USB charging ports connected to removable batteries were, and still are, approved by the FAA.Īccording to the FAA and the Transportation Security Authority (TSA), carry-on suitcases as well as checked baggage are cleared for takeoff, as long as passengers transport the battery pack with them in the airplane cabin during flight. Regardless of whether it was carry-on luggage or being checked in, any bag with a built-in battery that was not removable was grounded. Pricey smart bags with built-in USB chargers, location tracking, LED lights, and other “smart” features included were suddenly on the no-fly list–unless the power banks could be removed by the passenger prior to flight. This smart luggage travel ban put consumers–and some luggage companies–in a tailspin.
Instead, the airlines took direct aim at luggage with integrated, non-removable batteries–often referred to as “smart luggage.” They did not ban the batteries themselves, and that’s a good thing, since most laptops and tablets are powered by these cells. In 2018, US-based airlines banded together to ban smart luggage from travel in or on their airplanes due to concerns over the risk of exploding lithium ion batteries.