The peak tourist season is approaching, which means that everyone has to complete their task of preparing enough clothes to wear, ensuring all essential tech items come with the right charger and pray that everything comes together in the luggage just shame about the weight limit.
Perhaps that baggage came in the form of a smart suitcasean effort to make travel experience easier with high-tech functions like built-in wireless chargerelectronic lock, and even GPS tracking.
Also: Fly early? This is a must-have iOS app when traveling by plane
But despite how convenient and practical smart luggage can be, airlines have become stricter about what travel devices are allowed and not allowed. This guide explains what counts as a smart suitcase and what every major airline’s policy is when you’re traveling with a suitcase.
Usually a bag with a hard shell, smart suitcases are packed with electronic capabilities that often include USB charging ports, smart locks, GPS tracking capabilities, Wi-Fi and hotspot connectivity, even weigh. The exact features vary between bags, but they all have the goal of making getting around — especially if you’re a tech-heavy user — easy. Smart suitcases come in both carry-on and checked baggage sizes.
This depends on whether you can remove the battery from the smart suitcase. Since 2013, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) bans Spare lithium batteries in checked baggage cannot be stored in the aircraft’s luggage compartment. That means most smart suitcases that run on lithium-ion batteries are considered a fire hazard and should not be used.
However, most airlines only apply restrictions on checked baggage with non-removable Lithium batteries. If you can remove the lithium battery from your bag or just have a smart bag to carry, you should have no problem flying with it.
And now, here is a list of the five most popular airlines and their respective travel policies that you should know before you travel:
Effective January 15, 2018 Southwest Airlines states that “If the smart bag is in the cabin of the plane, the removable battery will still be installed.” In other words, you can take any smart luggage with you, as long as it has a removable battery. But Southwest makes clear that if customers want to check their bags at any time, even if you have to check your carry-on baggage at the gate, customers must remove the batteries before boarding.
United Airlines only allows smart bags with removable lithium battery. The airline also requires you to remove the battery before checking baggage.
Also effective as of January 15, 2018, Delta only allows you to check in and carry the smart bag with a removable lithium battery. Its guidelines also note that motorized smart bags – great as they are for traveling through airports – are banned.
You can fly with smart luggage on JetBlue as long as the lithium battery is removed from the bag and safely stored in the cabin.
Frequently asked questions
Smart luggage with built-in technology like smart locks, GPS tracking, and even personal hotspots can make packing and moving easier.
Airlines have not completely banned all smart luggage. For the safety of passengers, most airlines only require any smart luggage to have a removable lithium-ion battery.
Suitcases with chargers are allowed on board as long as the batteries are removable. For example, if your luggage comes with an external battery bank, you’ll want to remove it before moving it in.
