Pages: [1]   Go Down

Author Topic: Air Travel with lighting equipment batteries  (Read 4999 times)

andyptak

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 469
Air Travel with lighting equipment batteries
« on: April 15, 2016, 07:56:06 am »

Now that we can't check-in equipment batteries anymore and have to take them in our carry-ons, I wonder about larger batteries for location strobes etc?

I have an upcoming location job where I would love to take a couple of sets of Quadras but those batteries are damn big and heavy to include in carry on. There will be no room for my camera gear!

What does any one else do?
Logged

DanielStone

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 664
Re: Air Travel with lighting equipment batteries
« Reply #1 on: August 06, 2016, 01:38:21 pm »

Where is this stated? We fly with Einsteins, Profoto, etc all the time, and TSA leaves their little paper pamphlet inside the cases every flight. Never a problem... And yes, the Einstein's are the lithium batteries.
Logged

UlfKrentz

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 530
    • http://www.shoots.de
Re: Air Travel with lighting equipment batteries
« Reply #2 on: August 06, 2016, 04:15:40 pm »

Where is this stated? We fly with Einsteins, Profoto, etc all the time, and TSA leaves their little paper pamphlet inside the cases every flight. Never a problem... And yes, the Einstein's are the lithium batteries.

Daniel, you need to check with your airline and when you do as stated you might get in serious trouble, just saying.
http://www.iata.org/whatwedo/cargo/dgr/Pages/lithium-batteries.aspx

To the OP, AFAIK you can handle your batteries to a crew member, and they will store them separately.

BobShaw

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2218
    • Aspiration Images
Re: Air Travel with lighting equipment batteries
« Reply #3 on: August 06, 2016, 10:56:52 pm »

According to the Elinchrom site under 100WH you can check them mounted in the equipment.
http://www.elinchrom.com/support_downloads.php
Logged
Website - http://AspirationImages.com
Studio and Commercial Photography

UlfKrentz

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 530
    • http://www.shoots.de

andyptak

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 469
Re: Air Travel with lighting equipment batteries
« Reply #5 on: August 07, 2016, 01:21:07 pm »

Thanks folks.

I'm in Canada and fly to Mexico and the Caribbean on jobs often.

This limits me to our three domestic airlines that fly these routes. On the booking page of each of them I have to tick the "I agree" button that puts lithium batteries in the same category as dangerous cargo and prohibits them in the hold.

Guess it depends on where you live and who you fly.
Logged

BobShaw

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 2218
    • Aspiration Images
Re: Air Travel with lighting equipment batteries
« Reply #6 on: August 07, 2016, 06:53:44 pm »

Thanks folks.

I'm in Canada and fly to Mexico and the Caribbean on jobs often.

This limits me to our three domestic airlines that fly these routes. On the booking page of each of them I have to tick the "I agree" button that puts lithium batteries in the same category as dangerous cargo and prohibits them in the hold.
Well you don't tick I agree, you show them the written approvals.
Logged
Website - http://AspirationImages.com
Studio and Commercial Photography

andyptak

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 469
Re: Air Travel with lighting equipment batteries
« Reply #7 on: August 08, 2016, 04:19:31 pm »

One thing that I've found in the past is that the gate crew don't give a damn about anything that doesn't originate from them. Even when I have been on jobs working for their own airline, I have gotten a "We don't care. That's the Marketing Department and they've got nothing to do with us. We're in charge of loading the aircraft, not them".

Hard to argue with someone who can stop you boarding, even if they're wrong about the regulations.



Logged

MarkM

  • Sr. Member
  • ****
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 428
    • Alaska Photographer Mark Meyer
Re: Air Travel with lighting equipment batteries
« Reply #8 on: August 08, 2016, 09:32:03 pm »

I travel with Profoto battery-powered packs checked all the time and never have trouble. Having said that, I've never travelled with spare batteries, just the battery installed in the unit. This should be allowed both in the US and Canada per government regulation (not per the airline's marketing department).

Logged

Ari-FLM

  • Jr. Member
  • **
  • Offline Offline
  • Posts: 88
    • FLM Canada
Re: Air Travel with lighting equipment batteries
« Reply #9 on: October 30, 2016, 05:57:35 pm »

Mark M:
I recently bought a Profoto 7b kit with 2 heads and two extra batteries. The whole kit weighs 70 pounds.
Can you recommend a good case for airline travel?
I was looking at a Pelican 1615 or SKB 2918, but I'm open to any good suggestions.
Thanks.
Logged
aritapiero.com
flmcanada.com
Pages: [1]   Go Up