Holy smoke!!!
LiveLeak.com - Lithium Battery Explosion (http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=dc7_1433425828)

That's impressive.

Of course lithium batts *are* allowed on planes, but the quantity you can carry on is limited, and I don't think you can check them in.

Seth, you are correct, I meant not as cargo or as checked in.

I guess the lesson here is "don't stab it with a knife". There was a time when TSA was checking batteries in carry-on luggage and trying to not let certain ones on. After winning an argument with the mouthbreather on duty the first time, I put electrical tape over the part where it says "Li-Ion" on the battery and never had trouble again.

You should also use that tape on the contacts. Here's advice given by PAG on transporting these batteries, bear in mind this is about own products in places.

https://www.paguk.com/content/air-transportation-li-ion-batteries-0

Tape on the contacts is a good idea - including when disposing of older batteries.

Here at work, somebody threw the wrong type of battery into one of the disposal baskets (each basket listed for a specific type) without taping the contacts. Fortunately, somebody saw the smoke from the cabinet before any major damage was done.

Tape those contacts!

This is becoming a big issue for all of us that travel with our gear for obvious safty reasons. There are both FAA regulations and airline carrier policies in place. Check both of them before you travel. Basics are: They like to see the batteries attached to the device. The contacts are covered and the battery is secured. It is all of the loose spares we carry that makes them nervous. The more care you display when carrying them on the less problems you will have. Yes, as mentioned tape the contacts. Even better is tape the plastic shield on to the battery if you have it. Do not throw a bunch of them into a bag together and unsecured. Separating them from each other and anything metal they could contact is important. After taping the contacts I put each one in its own ziplock sandwich bag. Displaying good sense by packing your carry on properly and showing an awareness of the potential problem will go a long way with TSA.

Also, when packing your luggage and carry on do not pack any batteries and your cables together or near each other. A coiled cable and a battery spell BOMB on an x-ray image. I learned that from a TSA agent who pulled me over to the stainless steal table for extra inspection because I had done that and they were also next to an external hard drive.

On another occasion my carry on got lots of extra attention because of a loose headphone adapter. The one that screws on to go from 1/8 inch to 1/4 inch. They x-rayed the bag three times before they took it and me over to the table to take it out and see what it really was. The guy said on x-ray it looked like a live cartridge. Funny, I even refer to it as a bullet sometimes.

You never know what will get their attention. But doing what you can will get you through quickly more often if you do all you can.

Steve