> A couple of my clients have struck trouble recently, being prevented > from taking sealed lead acid batteries on planes, either installed in > equipment or stand alone. Properly labelled VRLA batteries are IATA exempt under IATA special provision A67. Note that batteries in equipment appear to not be covered by that exemption= .. I have somewhere an IATA chart that lists hazard type, where it may be carried if at all, and who needs to be notified if at all (cabin staff/ pilot/airline etc). I can probably locate it if required, but see below. I was prevented from carrying a brand new sealed lead acid battery from Christchurch to Auckland by an untrained worker employed by unacceptably-incompetent Jetstar (of which QANTAS owns slightly under 50% and they use old QANTAS aircraft). Fortunately I was able to have the battery collected from the airport. I subsequently researched the requirements and arranged for the suitably labelled battery to be carried in checked in baggage (as allowed in the regulations) by my son and daughter. The labelling included the compulsory IATA labelling plus a bit more explicit chapter and verse. (Exempt under IATA special provision A67 ... etc). On arrival it was evident that the bag had been opened and the battery checked - but they let it through. That was with Air NZ. If I get to carry SLA's with Jet Star / QANTAS in future some loud yelling may ensure if they can't manage to be aware of and meet IATA regs. (It doesn't seem to work with airport security staff in inland China but hopefully Jetstar staff are made of less stern stuff :-) ). See below for some references. Note that some low grade Asian SLA batteries used inside screwed together products are neither VR or sealed ! If there is any doubt about whether the letter of the law has been met the spirit of the law can be achieved with enough layers of 'plastic' bags and suitable tape. YMMV. Russell _______________________________________ Properly labelled VRLA batteries are IATA exempt under IATA special provision A67. ______________ All Panasonic batteries - transportation http://www.panasonic.com/industrial/batteries-oem/tertiary-navigation/produ= ct-information/transportation-msds.aspx VRLA / SLA batteries See section X http://www.panasonic.com/industrial/includes/pdf/VRLA_LC-MSDS_W_SUPPL.pdf _______________________________ *http://www.panasonic.com/industrial/battery/oem/trans/index.html#downloads= * *Lead Acid Batteries:* All of our lead acid batteries are unregulated by DOT for transportation by truck, rail, ocean and air transportation because they meet the requirement= s of 49 CFR 173.159 (d). The only transportation requirements are: The battery must be securely packaged in such a way to prevent the possibility of short-circuiting. The battery and the outer most packaging must be labeled "NONSPILLABLE" or "NONSPILLABLE BATTERY". All of our lead acid batteries are unregulated for air transportation because they meet the requirements of Special Provision =96 "A67" as promulgated by the International Air Transportation Association (IATA) and the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO). They also meet the Vibration and Pressure Differential Tests of the International Maritime Dangerous Goods (IMDG) regulations. See below for downloadable information .. ___________________________________ On 6 September 2010 17:09, Brent Brown wrote: > A couple of my clients have struck trouble recently, being prevented from > taking > sealed lead acid batteries on planes, either installed in equipment or > stand alone. > Occurred on International flights and US domestic flights. Check in or > carry on the > batteries were not permitted to fly. > > I've since looked around for info, found various requirements for > travelling with > Lithium batteries on www.iata.org, but not much on Sealed Lead Acid, only > this... > > http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/dangerous_goods/Pages/passenger_faq.as= px > "(click answer for bottom question, "I am handicapped and want to travel > with my > battery powered wheelchair...") > > Similarly the batteries I want to fly are non-spillable sealed lead acid > (small ones, > 12V 2AH). The transport section in a Panasonic SLA battery datasheet read= s > like > this: > > Identification and shipping name: Batteries - Wet, Non-Spillable, Electri= c > Storage, > UN 2800 > DOT - Unregulated, meets the requirements of 49 CFR 173, 159 (a). > IATA/ICAO - Unregulated, meets the requirements of Special Provision A67. > IMO - Unregulated. > For all modes of transportation, each battery and outer package must be > labelled: > "Non-Spillable" or "Non-Spillable Battery." This label must be visible > during > transportation. Batteries must be securely packed to prevent > short-circuiting. > > Seems to me the chances of travelling should be good if the battery is > specified as > Non-Spillable, and the batteries and/or equipment/outer package is labell= ed > as > described above, and the battery Material Safety Data Sheet is presented = to > the > airline. Probably means using good known brand batteries and not not chea= p > un- > known types, but that's reasonable. > > Wondering what other people have experienced, other steps to recommend? > > --=20 http://www.piclist.com PIC/SX FAQ & list archive View/change your membership options at http://mailman.mit.edu/mailman/listinfo/piclist .