You might have read that Southwest Airlines is cracking down on powered mobility devices over fears they could explode and catch fire, but there’s more to this story. The truth? While fire fears are very real, Southwest is implementing an industry best practice that has been around for some time.
Here’s what’s changing, why, and when, and how it compares to other carriers.
What’s changing in a nutshell:
As of September 25, 2025, Southwest will require, where possible, passengers with mobility devices to remove the lithium battery from their device and take it into the cabin with them.
And from January 2026, Southwest will limit the maximum lithium battery size to 300 watt-hours (Wh). This will apply to mobility devices as well as all other lithium batteries that passengers might be carrying with them.
How the change has been interpreted:
The new rules have been presented as a reaction to last week’s FAA safety alert, which urged US airlines to urgently review their existing procedures for the carriage of lithium batteries and how flight attendants respond if one overheats and catches fire.
The alert follows a growing number of serious incidents in which overheating lithium batteries in everyday devices like mobile phones, laptops, and portable power banks have resulted in emergency landings and evacuations.
Southwest is the first US airline to have imposed additional rules on passengers using portable power banks onboard its flights, but the latest rules on lithium batteries in mobility devices aren’t simply a reaction to the FAA safety alert.
The real reason behind the change:
In the last 12 months, Southwest became one of the newest members of the International Air Transportation Association (IATA), an international trade body that represents around 80% of the world’s airlines.
IATA doesn’t just exist to lobby on behalf of its members, but it also creates and manages standards, operational practices, and various rules that are adopted by airlines.
Not all of the rules created by IATA are mandatory, but in many cases, it just makes sense for airlines to follow these guidelines. For example, IATA sets the standards for baggage tags, so with Southwest now entering into international carriers like Icelandair, EVA Air, and China Airlines, it’s vital that Southwest follows all the latest standards to ensure interline baggage is handled properly.
It also makes sense to adopt IATA’s safety rules, as this is based on best practice from across the industry. And that’s where IATA’s ‘Dangerous Goods Regulations’ come into play.
Specifically, IATA’s Battery-Powered Wheelchairs and Mobility Aids Guidance Document. Essentially, Southwest is simply implementing the provisions set out in this document – almost word for word.
In fact, the new rules Southwest is implementing for mobility devices won’t come as a shock to regular passengers of many other international airlines who use one of these devices.
Why are airlines making up different power bank rules?
IATA is yet to come to a consensus on whether new rules should be introduced for portable power banks, although more and more airlines are bringing in their own rules.
As it stands, IATA hasn’t taken a stance on whether portable power banks should be banned from being used onboard a plane, or whether they should only be stored in plain view of a passenger so that they can be easily monitored.
That hasn’t stopped airlines like Emirates from restricting passengers to just one portable power bank, banning their use in-flight, and requiring them to be stowed in easy reach.
Southwest’s new mobility device battery rules explained
As of September 25, 2025, Southwest will implement the following change for powered mobility devices:
- If the mobility device has a lithium battery, it must be checked into the hold.
- If the battery can be removed, it must be taken into the cabin with the passenger.
- If the battery cannot be removed, it must be switched off, protected from short-circuiting, and protected from unintentional activation.
And from January 2026, an additional rule will be introduced:
- A single lithium battery will be restricted to a maximum size of 300 watt-hours (Wh).
- If a mobility device is powered by two lithium batteries, then each battery cannot exceed 160 Wh.
- One spare battery not exceeding 300 Wh or two spare batteries not exceeding 160 Wh can also be carried onboard.
Southwest’s portable power bank rules explained
In May, Southwest became the first US airline to put restrictions on the carriage of portable power banks.
- Power banks must remain within easy reach of the passenger – they cannot be stored in the overhead bins.
- When being used to charge a device, portable power banks must remain in the line of sight of the passenger.
The idea behind these rules is to ensure that, should a portable power bank overheat, it is not only immediately obvious but that flight attendants are in a position to immediately take action.
