Does TSA Let You Travel With Apple AirTags In Your Carry-On Luggage?

Apple AirTags are the compact and convenient tool for tracking small items such as keychains, phones, or wallets that keep you sane when traveling. AirTags allow you to track anything accidentally left behind, and for travelers, attaching an AirTag to your luggage can offer peace of mind. You can even share an AirTag's location with an airline to help find your lost luggage. However, does the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) allow this? The short answer is yes.

Before you decide to pack an AirTag into your luggage, however, it's important to know the rules and regulations surrounding them from the TSA. AirTags utilize a lithium battery, and the TSA has strict regulations about them, mainly due to the myriad of safety concerns surrounding the more powerful lithium-ion batteries. Lithium batteries tend to be safer than their lithium-ion counterparts because they are smaller and have a lower energy density than lithium-ion batteries. 

The AirTag's battery is a replaceable CR2032 coin battery, the same battery typically used in watches and key fobs. The CR2032 uses lithium to store and release energy, which, fortunately, the TSA finds acceptable for storing in your carry-on and checked baggage.

According to the TSA, lithium batteries can be brought in carry-on luggage as long as their capacity is less than 100 watt hours and the content of lithium is less than 2 grams. Luckily for those who are prone to losing things, the CR2032 within the AirTag falls below these regulations. Apple doesn't disclose the specific CR2032 battery that Apple uses in the AirTag, but a standard CR2032 3V battery delivers 2.35 watt hours and contains just 0.10 grams of lithium. 

This means that AirTags are safe to fly in your carry-on cargo, as they are well below the 100-watt-hour and 2-gram lithium content restriction. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) has also clarified that AirTags and other small trackers can travel in checked baggage as well as in carry-on bags during flights. No matter where your next adventure takes you, you can feel free to travel with peace of mind and place an AirTag in your luggage. If you do end up losing your luggage, there are more than 30 airlines currently that will help you locate your lost luggage with the AirTag's "share Item" feature.