Can You Take a Vape on a Plane? A Vaping and Travel Guide

With covid-19 restrictions beginning to relax in the UK and many other countries, plenty of you are no doubt finally planning, or re-arranging the long-awaited holidays we’ve all sorely missed over the last two years of lockdown. While we must all remain vigilant and respect different countries policies on travel since the pandemic, we can now enjoy our freedom and get out and see the world once more!

If you’re among the many vapers looking forward to a holiday this year, you may be wondering about the rules you need to follow when it comes to travelling with your e-cigarette and e-liquid. While it may seem obvious to some, many airports and airlines have only just begun publishing official rules for travelling vapers, with many more besides leaving things a little vague.

Different airlines, airports and destination countries enforce varying rules about vaping, and it can be important to bear them in mind when you plan your next trip. To help you travel with confidence, we’ve created this guide. Read on to make sure your holiday goes as smoothly as possible!

Can I take my vape on a plane?

Yes, you can indeed take your vape with you onto a plane, however, there are rules you must still adhere to. The most important to remember for your next trip, is that you must pack your vaping device as a part of your carry-on hand luggage.

If you attempt to pack one into your hold luggage, it will almost certainly be flagged by the scanning machines and staff will have to take you aside, causing delays and making a scene. E-cigarettes are not allowed in the hold of any major airline you will likely travel with.

This is because the batteries are lithium based. E-cigarettes, like many other common electronics including your laptop or phone, are powered by lithium-ion batteries. Due to the fire risks lithium poses, no item which contains it will be able to be kept in the hold. You will be expected to keep your e-cigarette on you and ensure it is attended for the duration of your time on the flight.

Naturally, if you are having to take your vaping device in your carry-on you are unlikely to want to lug around a heavy box mod. Before you go, you may want to consider picking up a compact travel-friendly vape like the EDGE GO or a similar pod device. The added bonus of devices like the GO being that the pre-filled magnetic pods are only 2ml in capacity and will count less towards your total liquid volume!

Leading Airlines’ Policies on Vaping Devices

While you should always check ahead to ensure you comply with your chosen airlines rules and regs, here are the statements from some of the biggest you are more likely to travel with:

Easy Jet: “All electronic cigarettes and a maximum of two spare batteries in a carry-on and on one’s person.”

British Airways: “Electronic cigarettes may be carried in hand luggage but must not be used on board.”

Emirates: “All Emirates flights are non-smoking – this also includes the use of e-cigarettes. No e-cigarettes can be used on board Emirates flights.”

Virgin Atlantic: “Electronic cigarettes are a device that looks like a cigarette and works by creating a vapor, which contains nicotine. Electronic cigarettes are NOT permitted to be used onboard our aircraft”

Quantas Airlines: “The use and charging of all e-cigarettes and other personal vaporisers are not permitted on board an aircraft. They must be carried in hand luggage.”

Can I bring my e-liquid on a plane?

You can indeed bring e-liquid with you on your trip, however much like your device, there are important things to remember to avoid any complications. The most important is to remember that e-liquid will count towards the volume of e-liquid you bring in your carry-on hand luggage.

Most airlines around the world enforce a 100ml maximum limit for carrying any kind of liquid that is not checked into the hold. If you are travelling with hand luggage only, such as for a short weekend away, take extra caution – you don’t want to have to choose between your e-liquid and your toothpaste.

You can however check significantly more e-liquid refills into your hold luggage. If possible, plan ahead and ensure your refill bottles over are packed into your hold luggage rather than your carry-on. If you only have hand luggage, try to take a smaller 10ml e-liquid rather than a shortfill, which will leave you with almost no allowance in that little plastic bag for other, more essential liquids.

Remember – if you do pack e-liquids into your hold or even hand luggage, ensure they are kept in a sealed bag of some variety to protect your other luggage. The dramatic changes in air pressure experienced while flying can often cause devices and refills to leak.

Can I take a disposable vape on a plane?

We've all seen the many different types of disposable vaping devices in UK stores that have rocketed to popularity in a short space of time. Because of the compact and convenient nature of these devices, many people will consider them as a potential option for a travel vape, particularly if their other device is a larger mod or similarly less-portable device.

Despite the fact you cannot separate the battery and e-liquid containing parts of these all-in-one devices, you can still take them away with you on holiday. As batteries cannot be carried in the hold of any aircraft by law, you will be required to carry them on as hand luggage like any other e-cigarette battery. You can take multiple disposable vapes away at once, just take note that the total volume of e-liquid does not exceed the 100ml limit imposed by most airlines.

Most disposable vapes carry a maximum of 2ml of e-liquid so quite a few can be placed in your see-through bag with your other toiletries and liquids, allowing you to travel without issue.

Can I actually vape whilst on the plane?

While some foolhardy types might play the role of “cool kid on the bus” and try to sneak a cheeky vape under their seat or in the toilet of a plane, it is absolutely illegal, and you should never attempt it. The only reason you are allowed it on your person is to avert the fire risk of storing it in the hold.

There are legal repercussions of varying severity depending on the airline and country you happen to be in, from lifetime bans to steep fines and possibly jail time. The majority of airlines have also installed detectors in their on-board toilets as well as elsewhere in the aircraft, so you should never assume you can get away with taking even one puff.

Can I vape in the airport before I fly?

In most cases, once you have entered the terminal you will not be able to vape or smoke until you have reached your destination and found a designated area to do so. While there are smoking and vaping areas in many airports they are commonly outside of the terminal.

Many airlines do not openly publish specific rules about vaping, so before you fly it is best to check ahead about their policy so as not to experience any unwanted issues. Generally, if you treat your vape as a cigarette, you will find the same rules apply to both. Using e-cigarettes openly has been banned in all UK airports.

If you are leaving the UK this year to travel abroad and want to avoid making any vaping faux-pas, check out the table below to understand how the UK’s most popular airports handle their vaping policies:

Will Being A Vaper Affect My Travel Insurance?

In most insurance policies, from life to car cover, being a smoker can often cause you to pay a higher premium. this is of course because of the potnetial health risks a smoker might face vs a non-smoker.

Despite carrying 95% less risk according to Public Health England, the vast majority of insurers from Aviva to Zurich, and even comparison sites like compare the market all state the same thing: if you identify as a smoker, vaper of use nicotine replacement products like patches or gum, you risk paying a hhigher premium - keep that in mind when planning your next trip!

We hope this guide helps you to prepare for taking your vape on your next holiday and will ensure your trip gets started without a hitch. Check out our blog, Where in the world can you vape? To discover what your destination country thinks about vaping, and how you can keep topped-up with e-liquid once you land.

Our Sources:

https://www.gatwick-airport-guide.co.uk/e-cigarettes.html

https://www.thesun.co.uk/travel/6741768/vaping-planes-trains-e-cigarette-rules/