The next flight you take might means leaving any big or small power banks in hand luggage, and just charging up via your seat’s connection.
Losing power on your phone or tablet is never easy when flying, but the next trip you’re on might mean plugging into your seat’s USB port and not a power bank you own.
That’s according to at least one airline, though it could be a sign of things to come.
Singapore Air has noted that from April 1, its power bank rule goes into effect allowing customers to bring power banks of up to 27,000mAh (100Wh) in their cabin luggage, but that they can’t be used to charge devices during a flight.
Simply put, you’ll be able to bring a power bank — be it a 10,000mAh for charging phones or a 27,000mAh model for charging something bigger — but you won’t be able to use it to charge your devices while on the flight.
Instead, you’ll need to use the USB ports on the aircraft, though only to charge your phone or tablet. You also won’t be able to use them to charge your power bank under the new rules.
If it sounds like the sort of thing that’s an April Fools Joke, think again: Singapore Air isn’t the only airline taking this step, South Korean airlines are also following this rule, which stems from an aircraft fire that may have come as a result from a battery pack.
Based on what we’re learning, this rule will be up to the discretion of airlines specifically, with Hong Kong’s Cathay Pacific ignoring it for the moment, though that could be subject to change.
What does it mean for travelling with a power bank?
The good news is that you can still travel with a power bank, but that you just might not be able to use it on every aircraft you board.
Some will have this rule, which will mean keeping your power bank in your backpack or travel case — keeping it with you — but just not being used. Instead, you’ll end up using the USB ports at your seat to recharge, and that may mean rethinking your cables.
Cords can and will vary in length, but if you’re going to sit in your seat and watch a program, you might end up needing a longer cable than what was supplied with your phone, if even one was.
Consider checking which type of ports are available on the aircraft, finding out whether it’s the standard USB-A (older rectangular port) or USB-C (the reversible Type C port), and then buying a longer cable for flight.
Three metre cables should be plenty while some one metre cables will be fine, depending on how close you plan to keep the gadget near the port. Resting it on the tray table with a small cable should be fine, but longer cables will struggle to sit anywhere else, so take that into account.
We’re not quite sure how these rules affect MagSafe power packs, but our guess is that these, too, will be excluded from use.
The rule appears to target power banks in general, and not so much power banks using USB specifically. That means if you regularly use Apple’s magnetic charging technology “MagSafe”, or even the Qi2 equivalent on Android, you probably won’t be able to slap these on the back, either.
A magnetic charging pack is still a power bank, and would likely see a flight attendant nudge you once they saw on on your phone.
