💼 Cabin bag
Drill body prohibited in carry-on. Lithium battery (if removed) must travel in carry-on under battery Wh limits.
✈️ Hold (checked)
Drill body permitted. Lithium battery must be removed and carried in carry-on.
Power drill
Airline-specific rules
Common questions
The drill body is prohibited in carry-on baggage and will be confiscated or sent back for checked-bag processing. If the drill has a lithium battery still attached, the situation is more complex — the battery must travel in carry-on and cannot go in checked baggage, so you would need to separate the two before the flight.
Aviation safety regulations treat lithium batteries as a fire risk in the cargo hold, where a thermal event cannot be managed by cabin crew. The drill body itself has no such restriction and is permitted in checked baggage, but the battery must accompany you in the cabin so any issue can be detected and addressed immediately.
Screeners focus on the X-ray image of your carry-on: a lithium battery removed from its tool is recognisable and will be assessed for its watt-hour rating. At check-in or the gate, airline staff may ask whether a checked tool bag contains batteries — if you have left the battery inside a checked drill, it can be removed and returned to you to carry on.
Remove the lithium battery from the drill before packing, carry the battery in your carry-on bag, and place the drill body in your checked baggage. Confirm the battery's watt-hour rating is within airline limits — most standard drill batteries are under 100 Wh and are straightforwardly permitted in carry-on.
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Browse all Tools →Based on official United States security guidelines. Rules vary by airline and route — always verify with your carrier before travel. · Rules last verified May 2026.