Three Taiwanese airlines have prohibited passengers from packing Bluetooth earbuds and their charger cases in checked luggage.
EVA Air and Uni Air said that Bluetooth earbuds and charger cases are categorized as portable electronic devices, which should be switched off if they are placed in checked luggage based on international aviation safety regulations. They must not be in standby or sleep mode.
However, as charging would continue when earbuds are placed in the charger cases, which would contravene international aviation regulations, their cases must be carried as hand luggage, they said.
Photo: Chang Hsuan-che, Taipei Times
Tigerair Taiwan said that earbud charger cases are equipped with built-in lithium-ion batteries, as are portable electric fans, adding that such devices are banned from being placed in checked luggage.
Starlux Airlines, China Airlines and Mandarin Airlines do not have regulations governing the delivery of earbuds and their charger cases.
However, Starlux said that portable electronic devices placed in checked luggage must be switched off at all times during the flight. Meanwhile, passengers must take precautionary measures and ensure that specifications of the batteries meet international standards if they choose to do so, the airline said.
Photo: Huang Jaw-shiang, Taipei Times
Passengers of China Airlines and Mandarin Airlines are advised to carry earbuds and their charger cases in hand luggage, as lithium-ion batteries and portable chargers are banned in checked luggage, the two airlines said.
Separately, ferry passengers are banned from carrying portable chargers for mobile phones in their checked luggage after an incident that occurred on the Nanhai Star 1 (南海之星1號), a ferry operating between islets in Penghu County.
The incident occurred before the ferry departed, where a passenger’s portable charger ignited, the Maritime and Port Bureau said yesterday.
“We want to remind passengers that portable chargers must have certifications issued by the Bureau of Standards, Metrology and Inspection before boarding ferries. Chargers must not be packed in checked luggage and should be carried in hand luggage within sight at all times,” the bureau said.
Passengers are advised not to use chargers that are seriously damaged, deformed or overheated, as doing so poses safety risks.
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