[sethammons]

Did you drop a sarcasm tag? Anyone can make a fire on a plane as they allow lighters on a plane, and batteries, and any number of flammable objects. None of that is facing any scrutiny nor stopping crazy people from being crazy.

[NamTaf]

Ironically, both India and China forbid lighters on planes. Famously you see a collection of them around the bins just outside the airport as all the smokers leave them for others.

[xp84]

"Take a lighter, leave a lighter" - Guess you can just pick up one on your way back out when you return home!

[reeredfdfdf]

Yes it's possible to make a fire on a plane, but it would be even easier to cause a big fire if there was zero monitoring of bags. As flawed as airport security is, it should generally catch things like somebody trying to get a carry-on bag full of gasoline or extremely large lithium-ion batteries on board.

I take security that catches 50 or even 20% of threats any day over 0 security.

[wakawaka28]

I've heard that cell phones often catch fire on planes, and the crews know how to deal with that. I guess they have to because the odds of one going up are pretty good across so many flights.

[throwaway290]

It's easier to deal if it's in carry on bag. This is why batteries are forbidden in checked luggage. Once it all burns the airplane has got to land asap and it's an emergency.

My checked luggage did not pass xray multiple times because they detected powerbanks. I had to come back and take it out. However it also did pass xray a couple times with powerbanks so it's not a reliable system.

[edm0nd]

Alternatively, I checked 3-4 20k mAh powerbanks in my luggage on my flight to Utah and it never got flagged or detected.

[throwaway290]

like yes I pointed out it doesn't always work. sometimes I don't even know if anybody is watching the screen

[closewith]

Flammable liquid and all high temperature lighters are forbidden, as are Li-ion batteries over 100kWh.

[throwaway290]

You can buy up to 5L up to 70% alcohol after security, no? Sounds pretty flammable

[Scoundreller]

Can get that up to 99% with the right salts and some vigorous shaking.

[mjmas]

s/100kWh/100Wh/

But you can still have multiple batteries (I think up to 10 or so) as long as each individual one is less than 100Wh.