Flying with your chair
The rule that matters is watt-hours.
Nearly everything that goes wrong at the gate comes down to one number most people have never been told to look for.
Start here
Airlines don’t limit wheelchair batteries by size, weight or amp-hours. They limit them by watt-hours — a measure of how much energy the pack holds. Every rule below is expressed in that unit, and if you know your chair’s watt-hour rating you can answer almost any question an airline asks you.
Amp-hours are what most manufacturers print on the battery. Watt-hours are what the airline wants. To convert: multiply volts by amp-hours. A 24-volt, 10-amp-hour pack is 240 watt-hours.
Below this, no airline approval is needed. Most wheelchair batteries are well above it.
The ceiling for a single spare battery on a mobility aid with Australian carriers.
If you carry two spares instead of one, each must be at or under this.
Every Seraphin chair uses a pack between 144 and 250 watt-hours. That places the whole range in approval-required territory rather than approval-free — which is normal for a powerchair, and straightforward as long as you notify your airline in advance.
One thing to be careful of: some chairs offer larger optional battery packs for extra range. Those bigger packs can exceed the 300 Wh ceiling entirely, which makes them ground-travel batteries. If you fly, buy the standard pack.
What Australian carriers ask for
Policies are close to identical across the three major domestic carriers, because they all follow the same international dangerous-goods framework. The differences are in paperwork and notice.
| Carrier | Spare batteries | Worth knowing |
|---|---|---|
| Qantas | One up to 300 Wh, or two up to 160 Wh each | Spares travel in the cabin with terminals protected. Advance notification required. |
| Jetstar | One up to 300 Wh, or two up to 160 Wh each | Same framework as Qantas. Notify when booking rather than at the airport. |
| Virgin Australia | One up to 300 Wh, or two up to 160 Wh each | May ask to see the UN38.3 test evidence. Spares in a protective pouch, carried in the cabin. |
Virgin’s request for UN38.3 evidence is the one that catches people out, because it’s a document most retailers never supply. It’s the standardised transport test every lithium battery must pass before it can legally be shipped. We hold a passing report for the pack in your chair and it goes in the box.
International carriers apply the same 300 Wh framework but vary on notice periods and on whether the chair can stay with you to the gate. Check directly with the airline, and allow more time than you think you need.
Before you fly
Six steps, in the order they matter. The first one is the only one people regularly skip, and it’s the one that causes problems.
- Tell the airline you’re bringing a powered wheelchairDo this when you book, or at least 48 hours before departure. Say it’s a lithium-battery mobility aid and give the watt-hour rating.
- Have the watt-hour number readyIt’s marked on your battery and in your documents. If you’re asked and can’t answer, the conversation gets slower.
- Pack the documents where you can reach themThe UN38.3 certificate and safety data sheet — not in the hold, not at the bottom of a bag.
- Protect the terminals on any spareTape over them or use the pouch. A spare with exposed terminals can be refused.
- Carry spares in the cabin, never in the holdThis one isn’t negotiable with any carrier.
- Arrive earlier than usualAssistance and battery checks take time. Give yourself an extra hour on a domestic flight.
Every Seraphin ships with its paperwork
The UN38.3 test report, the safety data sheet, the watt-hour rating marked plainly, and a one-page guide. You shouldn’t have to chase a factory in another country for documents you need at a check-in desk.
See the rangeRead next
Watt-hours explained
How to read your battery’s rating, and how to convert from amp-hours.
Airline battery rules in full
The framework behind the limits, and where carriers differ.
Carrying a spare
When a second pack is worth it, and how to carry one properly.
What happens to your chair in the hold
How chairs are handled, and what damage cover applies.
Airline policies change and vary by route, aircraft and destination. The information here is a starting point, not a substitute for confirming with your carrier before you travel. Seraphin can supply your battery documentation, but only the airline can approve your battery.