{"id":35182,"date":"2025-04-08T16:17:21","date_gmt":"2025-04-08T21:17:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/travelbeats\/?p=35182"},"modified":"2025-04-08T18:54:28","modified_gmt":"2025-04-08T23:54:28","slug":"airlines-policy-for-power-banks-on-flights","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.indianeagle.com\/travelbeats\/airlines-policy-for-power-banks-on-flights\/","title":{"rendered":"This Indian Business Woman Shares Her Ordeal of Being Detained for a Power Bank at US Airport; An Eye-opening Incident"},"content":{"rendered":"
Not all news stories of travel nightmares in the US are rumors. Unfortunately, some are true. One such news of stringent security screening and harassment at US airports involves Shruti Chaturvedi<\/strong>, an Indian business woman who supports rural communities with business opportunities. She recently traveled to Alaska from India and had a harrowing experience as she was detained for long 8 hours at Anchorage Airport. All because a power bank in her luggage was deemed suspicious. What unfolded during her detention took not only Indians but the world aback.<\/p>\n She wrote about her ordeal on X.com<\/strong>, \u201cImagine being detained by Police and FBI for 8 hours, being questioned the most ridiculous things, physically checked by a male officer on camera, stripped off warm wear, mobile phone, wallet, kept in chilled room, not allowed to use a restroom, or make a single phone call, made to miss your flight – all because the airport security found your power bank in handbag \u2018suspicious\u2019.\u201d <\/em><\/p>\n PC: instagram.com\/shrutichaturvedii<\/p><\/div>\n This not just distressed her beyond measure but also ruined her trip to the US. This incident involving Shruti Chaturvedi is an eyeopener for Indians and others planning to visit USA on B1\/B2 Visa<\/a><\/strong>. It has raised significant concerns over the intensified scrutiny and harsh treatment of international travelers at the ports of entry in Trump\u2019s America. Reports of apprehension among tourists and visitors being frisked and interrogated for hours have prompted several countries, including the UK, Canada and Germany, to update advisories for their citizens traveling to USA.<\/p>\n The discovery of a power bank in carry-on bags is not too suspicious to detain travelers. However, the above incident apart, international airlines are dissuading passengers from carrying and using power banks on flights. Of late, several airlines have updated their cabin baggage policy to evade inflight fire incidents that power banks with lithium-ion batteries may cause.<\/p><\/blockquote>\n EVA Air has banned the use and charging of power banks aboard flights starting 1 March 2025<\/strong>. Singapore Airlines and its low-cost subsidiary Scoot have also barred passengers from using power banks and plugging the devices into the in-seat USB ports, effective from 1 April 2025. Cathay Pacific, Qantas, and Emirates have introduced similar rules.<\/p>\n<\/a>