Are you planning on bringing your vape on a plane? You need to know what is and isn’t allowed before you try to bring your vape or vape products on the plane with you. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has specific regulations in place for vaping devices, and if you don’t follow them, you could have your device confiscated or be subject to other penalties.
In this article, we will discuss everything you need to know about bringing a vape on a plane! We will cover the rules and regulations that different airlines have in place, such as what is allowed in your checked baggage and carry-on bags, as well as more specific information like whether or not you can bring nicotine liquids on a plane and can you bring a vape on a plane. We will also give you some tips on how to make the process easier for you.
Are Vapes Allowed on Planes?
So can you bring a vape on a plane?
Yes. Bringing vapes on planes is perfectly legal. However, vapes are only allowed when carried on one’s person or in your carry-on baggage. Carrying vapes in your checked luggage is strictly not allowed, according to the TSA security guidelines.
The reason why vapes are not allowed in checked luggage is that they are electronic devices, which means that they pose a fire risk during air travel.
Can You Vape on a Plane?
Vaping on a plane is illegal. It could warrant a hefty fine of up to $4,000 or worse, jail time. While these restrictions seem highly restrictive, they are meant to keep you safe.
When smoke detectors go off, you may not hear them, but the plane will be forced to take an emergency landing. And if the source of the scandal gets traced back to you, you may face a range of legal implications including paying a fine, jail time, or a ban from using the airline.
If your flight will be long and you will need to take nicotine, then consider carrying alternatives like nicotine gum for your travel.
Can You Vape at the Airport?
Vaping at the airport is oftentimes, illegal. Airport regulations consider vaping as smoking. So just like you’d smoke in strictly designated areas at the airport, you should also vape from the same areas if any.
Stealth vaping is also not allowed, so make sure to avoid taking small hits in the bathrooms or someplace hidden. It’s crucial to check with the airline if they have smoking lounges to avoid run-ins with the law.
To be on the safe side, always avoid vaping at the airport and mid-air. In case you have a 13-hours flight and need your nicotine with you, consider making do with other forms of nicotine intake like nicotine pouches, nicotine gums, or nicotine toothpicks.
Can You Travel With Your Vape Supplies?
Aside from the vape pen itself, there are other vape devices that you may find the need to travel with. These include vape juice, vape tank, batteries, or other weed and THC supplies. Find out below whether you can travel with either one of these vape gear.
Can You Take Vaping Liquid on a Plane?
Yes. Vaping liquid is similar to all forms of liquid, from aerosols to gels, to creams to pastes, when traveling. The TSA vape rules and regulations for traveling with e-liquids state that you can carry vaping liquid in 100 ml (or less) bottles.
These must fit into a single one-quart plastic bag. It’s quite lenient as a one-quart plastic bag can fit as many as nine 100 ml bottles. The same bag could carry your toothpaste, hair gel, deodorant, and toothpaste too.
Any vaping juice exceeding the 100 ml bottle limit goes into your checked luggage since checked luggage has no size limit for liquids.
A quick tip is to always fill your vape tanks or e-liquid bottles partially. Flying at high altitudes the air pressure causes e-liquids to expand and your vape tank may leak into your luggage.
You don’t want to cause a mess of your baggage when the e-liquids spill over your clothes. Otherwise, you might as well leave them empty.
Flying With Vaping Devices and Batteries
It’s allowed to carry your vaping device on your person or in your carry-on baggage. However, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) highlights more clearly ways to pack batteries safely so you’re adhering to federal regulations during your travel. The FDA requires that:
- As a safety precaution, you remove the lithium-ion battery from the electronic vaping device and place the vaping device in a protective case. Make sure to use a protective cover, safety latch, or locking device to prevent it from accidentally turning on.
Keep in mind that recharging the lithium-ion batteries or vaping device mid-air is strictly illegal.
Any vapes that have lithium batteries or charge electronically pose a fire risk. A case in point is a fire eruption on an American Airlines flight due to an e-cigarette ‘malfunctioning’ forcing the plane to make an emergency landing.
Don’t forget to also remove spare batteries from your checked bag, always carry any lithium-ion batteries in your hand luggage. Having a lithium battery in a pressurized cabin reduces its risk of exploding.
Flying With Weed and THC Vape Cartridges
Flying with weed and THC vape cartridges is extremely high risk. Weed and THC are federally illegal. This means that the checkpoints between the TSA and your final destination are subject to federal laws.
So, if a weed-sniffing dog happens to single you out for having any trace of weed and THC on you, you could be charged with possession or worse.
If you must carry your weed and THC vape devices, make sure they are empty and completely void of any weed and THC residue. Feel free to use Q-Tips and isopropyl alcohol to thoroughly scrub off every inch of the vape, from the mouthpiece to the weed chamber, and the outer surfaces.
If you’re still uncertain whether the vape is completely clean of any cannabis reside, it’s best to avoid carrying it to the airport with you.
It goes without saying that some countries have banned the use of cannabis in all its forms. So if you’re planning to carry your weed and THC vape cartridges, make sure their use is legal in your destination area, or else, they could be considered illegal contraband and confiscated at the checkpoints, or worse.
The likely exception is when traveling between Canadian cities. You’re less likely to have any issues since cannabis use is legal there. Better still, you may want to consider buying the weed and THC vapes from countries where they are legal rather than risking carrying them with you through TSA checkpoints.
Can You Travel with CBD and Hemp Vape Supplies?
Traveling with CBD and hemp vape supplies is a gray area. At the moment, traveling with hemp products is perfectly legal in the United States, provided CBD products contain less than the 0.3% THC limit.
Still, state laws and TSA regulations vary greatly. While some airports will allow you to travel with CBD and hemp vape supplies, others may confiscate, or give you a harder run-in with the law when the security in the airport decides these supplies are suspicious for illegal cannabis products.
Often, security checkpoint officers will forward any suspicious activity and products to local police, which may take plenty of time to test and clear your CBD products as legal to travel with.
For now, you may be safer avoiding carrying any CBD products or vape gear through airport security. At least until the law explicitly states that you can travel with CBD products or vape supplies through airports.
The only exception is if you’re using Epidiolex, for treating seizures, which the FDA approves.
Can You Travel with Your THC Vape Supplies?
Similar to traveling with weed and THC vape cartridges, traveling with THC vape gear is extremely high risk.
Since THC is illegal, except when used in CBD products, and even then, it must be in amounts, less than 0.3%, you’re generally on the safer side if you avoid traveling with your THC vape supplies, altogether.
Can You Take CBD Oil or Vape Juice on a Plane?
Taking CBD oil or vape juice on a plane has the same blurred lines as traveling with CBD and hemp vape gear. True, when your CBD oil or vape juice contains less than the legal 0.3% THC limit, airport security should let you through.
However, you don’t want to risk proving so at the airport. According to the TSA, airport security reports any suspicious substances to local police. They explicitly state that the final decision to allow items through the checkpoints lies with the TSA officer.
Worst case scenario, you’ll face an uncomfortable search, have a long interview with the police, and your products are confiscated. It’s commonplace for CBD arrests to occur at the airport, a case in point is a traveling grandmother who was jailed at the DFW Airport for traveling with CBD oil.
Overall, traveling with these products is likely more trouble than it’s worth, so it’s probably best to avoid carrying them, and instead, buy any CBD oil or vape juice you may need once you arrive at your destination.
Can I Bring a Vape on a Plane if I’m 18?
Bringing a vape on a plane when you’re under the 21 age limit for buying vaping products is, surprisingly, completely legal. The over 21 years of age rule on buying vapes often applies when buying the products.
However, at the airport, the TSA is in charge of the checkpoints with their main role to keep dangerous products off planes. TSA doesn’t normally enforce age restrictions on vape products.
Of course, only persons above the age of 21 can buy and use vapes. But if you were wondering whether you can bring one on a plane if you’re 18, the answer is yes.
Can You Bring a Weed Vape on the Plane?
Even though weed is legal in some states, it is still illegal at the federal level. This means that you cannot bring weed vapes on a plane even if you are going to a state where marijuana is legal.
The TSA is still under federal jurisdiction and TSA officers will confiscate your vape and you may be subject to fines or other penalties. If you are traveling to a state where marijuana is not legalized, leave your vape at home.
TSA Rules for Vapes
While the TSA allows bringing a vape on a plane, they do highlight rules to follow before getting to the airport, while at the airport, and during the flights. Let’s walk through what these rules are.
Pack Safe!
Vaping devices are electronics, which means that they can pose a fire risk when they are not safely packed. Here are the TSA rules for packing vaping devices safely.
- Make sure to pack any electronic devices and vape spare batteries, including electronic cigarettes, vaporizers, vape pens, atomizers, and any other electronic nicotine delivery systems on your person or in your carry-on baggage.
- Pack any vaping juice in 100 ml (or less) bottles in a carry-on bag packed within a single one-quart bag. Any vaping juice in more than 100 ml bottles should be packed in checked baggage.
- Pack any lithium batteries on your person or in your carry-on hand luggage. This too should be protected to prevent short circuits. You can use the battery’s retail packaging or cover the battery terminals with tape, a battery case, a plastic bag, or a protective couch.
Vaping in Airports and on Planes
Airport security considers vaping at the airports and on planes as smoking cigarettes. This means that you can only vape at the airport in designated smoking areas.
These smoking areas may have clear labels, so you may want to check with the airline if they have such an area where you can vape, legally. Don’t try stealth vaping. Chances are you’re caught in a non-smoking area and ejected from the airport or have penalty run-ins with airport security.
During your flight, it’s illegal to vape. This is a commonplace rule that you follow at all times. Breaching it could mean jail time or paying a fine as high as $4,000.
Will the TSA Take My Vape Out of My Carry-on Luggage?
You should remove all electronic devices from your carry-on luggage for inspection. To avoid deep scrutiny, you may want to remove your vaping device and any spare lithium batteries from your carry-on bag at the airport checkpoints.
This process is similar to removing laptops from your carry-on bags at checkpoints. Once done, pack the vape pen back into your carry-on bag and take the bag with you to the aircraft cabin.
Always Be on the Loop on International Vaping Laws
International vaping laws tend to change frequently across different airlines and in most airports around the world. Some countries go as far as to ban the use of vapes, so always make sure to check with your individual airline and destination airport and check country vaping rules each time before your air travel.
Check the Local Vaping Laws of Your Destination Country
Countries from around the world have different rules when it comes to bringing vapes or e-cigarettes to their territories.
When traveling overseas, it’s always important to consider the local laws of vaping laws of the destination country. Several countries uphold bans on vaping. Others may allow vaping but in strictly designated areas.
These restrictions often apply to vaping supplies that may be regarded as contraband while passing through the airline security checkpoint. So always be sure to double-check the laws or ask the TSA agents before carrying a vape on a plane overseas.
Also, always prepare to explain the vaping devices, supplies, or coil-building kit items you have with you, especially in countries where vaping may be unfamiliar.
What to Expect From Airport Security
Security at the airport will flag any suspicious substances to local police. However, so long as you follow the TSA regulations for vapes, you’ll have a quick and easier time with airport security.
It’s key to note though that the security officers may not exercise care when assessing vapes, or any other electronic device.
The general rule of thumb is to cooperate fully with the security personnel and prepare to explain the vape and vaping supplies you have with you. For instance, whether it’s a nicotine vape, or contains CBD oils.
Always be open, honest, and willing to show them your vape device for inspection. A quick tip is to disassemble the vape into component parts so it’s easier to inspect.
Conclusion
So although you can bring a vape and electronic cigarettes on a plane its important that you always stay informed on vaping laws as different countries have different laws. Also, always check with your airline if you are in doubt, they will help explain what is permitted and what is not. Ultimately to stay safe of any drama you can opt carrying other nicotine supplements like pouches and gums.