Travelers on Southwest face a new rule as airlines try to reduce the fire risk on flights

# Southwest Airlines Limits Portable Chargers to Reduce Fire Risk Southwest Airlines is restricting passengers to carrying just one portable charger on flights starting April 20, and it must stay in your carry-on bag—not checked luggage or overhead bins—because lithium batteries in chargers can overheat and catch fire at high altitudes. The airline won't search your bags to enforce this, but will explain the safety risk when you book and check in, hoping awareness alone will get people to comply. This rule is stricter than what international aviation authorities recommended, reflecting growing concerns about battery fires aboard planes.