On the back of my previous post about going to Cervinia in northern Italy on Monday, how should I travel with the drone? Flight both ways are with British Airways. Hand Luggage or in case?
Travelling with Mavic Mini
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Always pays to check with individual airlines too.
Some have specific rules.
BA should be pretty normal, with drone ok in carry on or checked, batteries always in carry on.
Most airlines say a battery can be installed on drone in a checked bag, but I don’t take the chance of a lipo going bad in the drone, minimal chance I know, but altitude / pressure and all ?
I don’t normally take the risk of checking drone or controller, preferring to keep my whole bag in carry on with me to place in overhead.
Some have specific rules.
BA should be pretty normal, with drone ok in carry on or checked, batteries always in carry on.
Most airlines say a battery can be installed on drone in a checked bag, but I don’t take the chance of a lipo going bad in the drone, minimal chance I know, but altitude / pressure and all ?
I don’t normally take the risk of checking drone or controller, preferring to keep my whole bag in carry on with me to place in overhead.
obviously the posting function works well also...Search function works well...
Search results for query: Traveling with drone
mavicpilots.com
or even.....
Search results for query: Hand luggage or
sirbadger
Well-Known Member
Desertjock
Member
The answer is only in hand baggage and a maximum of four batteries not exceeding 100 wh
hope this helps.
Maxheadspace
Well-Known Member
You MUST have all LiPo batteries in your hand-carry bag. You CANNOT check LiPos in your check-in bags, by law. I fly all over the US and Asia and never once had an issue with drones in my carry on bag.
I always carry my Mavics (and batteries) in my carry on, which is usually just a backpack. I put the backpack through the xray machine in the security area, no issues. I've never been stopped or questioned. I think drones being taken on vacations is a very common thing, so there should be no problem taking your Mavic Mini on a flight, but I would definitely take the drone AND the spare batteries in a carry on bag. Checked luggage, the air pressure could effect the batteries.
As stated by others, there are many threads on this topic on the forums but for what it is worth here is my two penneth worth...
Rechargeable batteries, especially Lithium based should be checked in in hand luggage. Some suggest fireproofing them in special protective bags. Regardless of that the terminals on the batteries should be covered to prevent shorting out on metal objects in your hand luggage.
Good advice but there are problems.
1) The weight of all your batteries might cause you to exceed the carry on luggage allowance. This can happen if your devices have integral batteries that can't be removed or you wish to carry on expensive camera equipment, tablets, laptops, etc... I have this problems with multiple DSLR cameras, expensive and delicate lenses, laptop, tablet gimbals, mobile phone, drone, etc...
It is a challenge to pack everything I need for a trip and decide what can safely go in the hold and what I can carry on.
2) Some airlines and aviation authorities limit the size and number of batteries you can carry on.
So my suggestion is that you carry on all the batteries and put the equipment like drones and cameras in the hold in protective cases but also have comprehensive insurance specifically for this equipment in case it gets lost or stolen in transit. This somewhat depends on where you are flying to.
So you think, sod it, I will go by ship on a cruise ... only a few cruise lines allow drones to be taken on board so check with the cruise line... Happy Holiday!
I'm flying to England in May with British Airways and I searched their site and it will be no problem they say batteries must be carry on and on their website it specifically suggests you print and carry their instructions with you just in case you get a flight crew who are not familiar with their restrictions
Last edited:
Banned and restricted items | Information | British Airways
find out what you can carry in your hand baggage though airport security with this handy guide from British Airways.
www.britishairways.com
Scroll down to batteries, all you need right there
Manfred Waldmeyer
Member
I currently took my mavic mini to Lanzarote.
I would recommend taking the three batteries in a lipo-safety bag because the transport of the three batteries in the charger/powerbank makes them a POWERBANK, which are restricted.
And to be save discharge the remote control battery and also the other three batteries to < 30%. Doing so gives you the chance to demonstrate that you act safe in case of a revision of your equipment.
I would recommend taking the three batteries in a lipo-safety bag because the transport of the three batteries in the charger/powerbank makes them a POWERBANK, which are restricted.
And to be save discharge the remote control battery and also the other three batteries to < 30%. Doing so gives you the chance to demonstrate that you act safe in case of a revision of your equipment.
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