Home Power Facts Can you take a power station on a plane?
No: you can't take a portable power station on a US passenger flight. The FAA forbids lithium batteries over 160 Wh in both carry-on and checked bags, and lists battery "generators" as over that limit. Every one of the 30 power stations we track is over it; the smallest, the EcoFlow RIVER 3, is 245 Wh. Power banks up to 100 Wh can go in carry-on bags without approval, and 100–160 Wh batteries only with the airline's approval (up to 2 spares).
The FAA limits for lithium batteries
- Up to 100 Wh[source]: allowed without airline approval.
- Over 100 Wh and up to 160 Wh[source]: only with the airline's approval, at most 2[source] spares.
- Over 160 Wh: forbidden on passenger aircraft, in carry-on and checked bags[source]. The FAA names lithium battery "generators", including backup and solar units, as over this limit.
- Spare batteries and power banks go in carry-on bags only, never in checked bags[source].
TSA says the same at the checkpoint: power banks go in carry-on bags only (TSA), and batteries over 100 Wh need the airline's approval and are never checked (TSA). Airlines can set stricter rules, so check yours.
What to do instead
Rent or buy one at your destination. Shipping one has its own carrier rules for lithium batteries, so ask the carrier first. For the flight itself, a power bank under 100 Wh charges a phone or laptop. To pick one at the other end, see best power station for each job or all models side by side.
Rules verified 2026-10-19 on faa.gov and tsa.gov; each figure links to the page it comes from.