Southwest Airlines is tightening cabin rules for portable chargers, saying it will limit passengers to carrying one charger starting April 20 and will require that the device remain in the passenger’s control rather than stored away. The change is intended to reduce the risk of lithium-battery fires on aircraft, as regulators and industry representatives point to a rise in incidents linked to the rechargeable devices people bring for phone, tablet and laptop power.
Under the new policy, passengers will be allowed to bring one portable charger onto Southwest flights, the airline said. Southwest also said passengers will not be able to store that charger in the overhead bin or pack it in checked luggage, a shift that keeps the device closer to the cabin’s operational control during the flight.
Southwest said its approach builds on a requirement the airline already has in place: during use, chargers must be kept in the open so flight attendants can respond quickly if a device starts to overheat. The airline said it does not plan to aggressively enforce the rule through bag searches or confiscations, instead emphasizing the change during booking and at the airport.
UL Standards & Engagement CEO Jeff Marootian said many travelers do not appear to recognize the risk posed by the growing number of lithium-powered devices carried on flights. He said incident counts have been increasing and tied that pattern to the number of devices passengers bring into aircraft cabins. Marootian said his organization reported hearing about two incidents every week, and he said it recorded a 42% increase in portable-charger-related incidents in 2025.
The Federal Aviation Administration said more lithium battery incidents are reported each year, reaching 97 in 2025 as more travelers carry rechargeable electronics such as phones, iPads and laptops along with portable chargers. The regulator’s reporting underscores the broader trend that safety officials are trying to manage through updated rules for how devices are transported and handled during flights.
Southwest’s decision also reflects the history of high-profile incidents. One of the worst cases mentioned by the reporting occurred in January 2025 aboard an Air Busan plane waiting to take off at an airport in South Korea, when a fire forced an evacuation of all 176 people aboard before flames burned through the plane’s roof.
To help manage overheating and contain fire risk, the airline said flight attendants have fire-resistant bags and insulated gloves used to place overheating devices into containment. Dave Hunt, Southwest’s vice president of safety and security, said the new rule would “strengthen our ability to contain and mitigate lithium battery incidents, including reducing the risk of battery fires.”
Southwest said it will try to make compliance easier for passengers by equipping all of its planes with in-seat power by the middle of next year. Aviation safety expert Steve Arroyo, who previously flew for United Airlines for 37 years, said he views the policy as a positive step, adding that even if the number of fires is small relative to the roughly 100,000 flights each day worldwide, the consequences of a battery fire can escalate quickly.