Scooter Battery on Airplane

[maureencruiser]

Quick question, I own a Travel Pro scooter with a sealed lead acid battery. The only time I flew with it, American asked me if it was a wet cell or a dry cell. I said it was sealed lead acid and then we stared at each other awkwardly for a few minutes. 😂 They said since I didn't know, I had to carry the 20 pound battery onto the plane. It was awkward with that in one hand and my cane and carryon in the other. I'm flying again soon. Does anybody know? Thanks in advance. 

[kokopelli-az]

I would ask where you purchased the Travel Pro if the battery is wet or dry.  And maybe if there are specs that include the battery information for your particular scooter that would be helpful to print out and have with you when you travel.  You need to be prepared, as the airline agents do not always know so if you have a printout of your battery information, that would be helpful for them.

 

Once you find out, contact your airline to verify they allow the type of battery you have.

If you are going to be on American again, you need to contact their Special Assistance to ask:

 

Call Special Assistance (American Airlines)

To make accessibility arrangements, call us for help:

800-237-7976

[FOPMan]

That scooter supports different types of batteries, and often SLA (sealed lead-acid) ones. Ideally, you should be able to look at the battery label for information specific to your battery. You may need to open the battery pack to access the batteries themselves. You may need a Phillips head screwdriver that ia especially long.

[Rhea98]

In case you're still in need of an answer: https://ajcbattery.com/tutorials-guides/basic-types-of-lead-acid-batteries/#:~:text=AGM batteries%2C also called dry,gel batteries for specific applications. Excerpt from the site "AGM batteries, also called dry cell batteries or sealed lead acid batteries, came into wide use in the 1980’s because they were lighter and more reliable than wet cell or gel batteries for specific applications. An AGM battery is similar to a wet cell battery, except the electrolyte is being held next to the plates in the fiberglass mats, as opposed to freely flooding the plates. Like gel batteries, this makes the AGM battery spill proof, as the acid is contained within the matting technology. They are more vibration resistant, and can withstand colder temperatures than a typical wet cell battery."

You still may want to contact the company where your device was purchased. This "wet/dry battery thing has been a PITA as companies don't/won't publish it and, apparently, some airlines don't seem to ask the correct questions. I can tell you Delta lets my spouse drive up to the airplane, leave the battery pack attached, and have it placed in the cargo area after I fold it up. If you are traveling out of the US, you may have different requirements from the airline. We did for KLM, and we will for our next transatlantic with Lufthansa. 

[casaloma]

Agree with all this good advice.  My scooter has a lithium battery and the only thing I can add, after flying with it all over the place, is that various airlines have no idea what to do with the battery.  I've been told we absolutely should take it with us into the airplane, other have argued ADAMANTLY that we must leave it with the scooter.  Yesterday as we were traveling back from New Zealand, I read the thingie they attach to the scooter for the first time and it appears they're MOSTLY worried that somehow the battery will start up on its own.  I would say that we've left the battery in more times than not.  

[gluecksbaer]

16 hours ago, casaloma said:

it appears they're MOSTLY worried that somehow the battery will start up on its own. 

Mostly they're worried that the battery getting power/connection could cause a fire.  Flight attendants are well trained in fire suppression so if the battery somehow starts a fire on board, it should be caught and contained.  If the same battery starts a fire in the luggage compartment, it could get ugly.