Can you bring a hoverboard on a plane or a train?
Not on a plane: 27 of the 30 airlines we read refuse hoverboards in the cabin and the hold, 24 of them by name — Air Canada, Delta, United, American, Southwest, British Airways and Ryanair among them. On trains it depends: Amtrak and NJ Transit ban them, while VIA Rail takes one as carry-on with the battery unplugged.
Airlines that name the hoverboard (24)
| Airline | What it means | What the airline says |
|---|---|---|
| Air Canada | Banned — hoverboards named | “Small lithium battery-powered vehicles are not accepted in either checked baggage or carry-on baggage due to safety concerns associated to the lithium batteries that power them. Prohibited vehicles include:” “hoverboards” aircanada.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| WestJet | Banned — hoverboards named | “What guests need to know: Small battery-powered personal transportation devices that are not intended to provide mobility aid are not accepted as passenger baggage.” “Hoverboards, e-scooters and balance boards” westjet.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Porter Airlines | Banned — hoverboards named | “Due to safety concerns, the following lithium battery-operated personal transportation devices are on our no fly list:” “Hoverboards” flyporter.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Air Transat | Banned — hoverboards named | “Vehicles not accepted include: hoverboards, electric skateboards, airwheels, Onewheels, mini-Segways, balance wheels, electrically powered scooters such as Razor and battery-assisted bicycles such as Trek Electric Bikes and , and lithium battery-powered ride on toys.” airtransat.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Flair Airlines | Banned — hoverboards named | “To ensure the safety of customers and crew, Flair Airlines does not accept the following in either carry-on or checked baggage:” “Hoverboards, Airwheels, Balance wheels/balance gliders, Electric skateboards” flyflair.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Delta Air Lines | Banned — hoverboards named | “Battery Powered Self-Balancing Personal Transportation Device (Hoverboards)” “To ensure the safety of our customers and employees, Delta will not accept the transport of balance gliders, hoverboards, powered skateboards and self-balancing boards of any type which use lithium or lithium-ion batteries on board its aircraft. These items are prohibited as both carry-on and checked baggage.” delta.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| United Airlines | Banned — hoverboards named | “We don’t accept any devices that are designed to be used like a vehicle. Here is a list of examples:” “Vehicles, hoverboards and rideable suitcases” “Smart balance wheels and boards, like hoverboards, airboards and skateboards” united.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| American Airlines | Banned — hoverboards named | “We don’t allow lithium ion battery-powered personal transportation devices on board or as carry-on or checked bags.” “Hoverboards” aa.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Southwest Airlines | Banned — hoverboards named | “Never permitted” “Self-balancing devices (e.g., hoverboards)” support.southwest.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Alaska Airlines | Banned — hoverboards named | “Include but limited to: electric boards, hoverboards, gliders, electric unicycles, intelligent scooters, or similar devices of any type which use lithium or lithium ion batteries (e.g. rechargeable, LifePo, NMC, etc.) will not be accepted in either checked or carry-on baggage. These types of devices are not classified as personal electronic devices.” alaskaair.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Hawaiian Airlines | Banned — hoverboards named | “Include but limited to: electric boards, hoverboards, gliders, electric unicycles, intelligent scooters, or similar devices of any type which use lithium or lithium ion batteries (e.g. rechargeable, LifePo, NMC, etc.) will not be accepted in either checked or carry-on baggage. These types of devices are not classified as personal electronic devices.” hawaiianairlines.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| JetBlue | Banned — hoverboards named | “Items prohibited in checked bags” “Balance gliders, hoverboards, electric skateboards, or self-balancing boards with lithium/lithium ion batteries” jetblue.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Frontier Airlines | Banned — hoverboards named | “These items are also known as self-balancing scooters, electric skateboards, drifting boards, rover boards and hoverboards.” “For safety reasons, personal electric vehicles (self-balancing scooters, electric skateboards, drift boards, hover boards and rover boards) are not allowed on any Frontier Flight.” flyfrontier.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Allegiant Air | Banned — hoverboards named | “Hoverboards / Self-balancing devices” “Forbidden from transport. Includes, but is not limited to: electric skateboards, balance gliders, hoverboards or self-balancing boards, etc.” allegiantair.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| British Airways | Banned — hoverboards named | “Due to the potential fire risk, all small electric leisure vehicles powered by lithium batteries are strictly prohibited on board, either in the cabin or as checked baggage. This includes, but is not limited to, hover boards, air wheels, solo wheels, Segways, e-skateboards, electric scooters or e-scooters, sea scooters or underwater propulsion devices, e-bikes, hover karts, eStrollers or electric-powered baby/child prams and self-propelled ride-on baggage.” britishairways.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Air France | Banned — hoverboards named | “Segways, hoverboards, airboards, oxboards, e-skates, waveboards, scooters, etc., powered by lithium batteries (regardless of their power in Wh), even when disconnected or removed.” wwws.airfrance.us, read 2026-09-24 |
| KLM | Banned — hoverboards named | “If you want to bring a device with a lithium battery up to 160 Wh, you need to request permission. Devices with batteries larger than 160 Wh are never allowed. Spare lithium batteries and power banks are only allowed in your hand baggage.” “Hoverboards” klm.ca, read 2026-09-24 |
| Qatar Airways | Banned — hoverboards named | “Examples – Solowheels, Hover-boards, Mini-Segways, E-scooters, Balance-wheels.” qatarairways.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Aer Lingus | Banned — hoverboards named | “FORBIDDEN” “Portable Recreational Vehicles Powered by Lithium-Ion Batteries such as Hover boards, self-balancing scooters, unicycle scooters, etc.” aerlingus.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Ryanair | Banned — hoverboards named | “The following items are strictly prohibited on board and in checked baggage:” “Lithium ion battery-powered vehicles (including segways and hoverboards) other than any wheelchair or mobility equipment that meets our regulations,” help.ryanair.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| easyJet | Banned — hoverboards named | “Strictly prohibited” “Personal motorised vehicles including: e-bikes, hoverboards, segways and smart of self-balancing wheels” easyjet.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Virgin Atlantic | Banned — hoverboards named | “The following items are never allowed on our flights in any circumstances.” “Hover boards/segway boards/mini segway/self-balancing board/smart balance/wheels and breeze boards.” virginatlantic.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Turkish Airlines | Banned — hoverboards named | “Electric or battery-powered bicycles, along with similar portable personal vehicles and rideable baggage that utilize lithium-ion batteries, are not permitted on the aircraft as cabin baggage or checked baggage.” “Hoverboards, Segways, AirWheels, Solowheels, and Balance Wheels,” turkishairlines.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Singapore Airlines | Banned — hoverboards named | “All small lithium battery-powered personal transportation devices (e.g. mini-Segway, hoverboard, solowheel, airwheel, balance wheel, etc.) are prohibited as checked-in and hand-carry baggage. This applies regardless of whether the battery is removable.” singaporeair.com, read 2026-09-24 |
Airlines whose wider rule covers it (3)
| Airline | What it means | What the airline says |
|---|---|---|
| Lufthansa | Banned — covered by a wider rule | “Battery-powered personal transportation devices, e.g. e-bikes, e-scooters, underwater scooters, e-baggage scooters and others” “Transport prohibited” lufthansa.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Emirates | Banned — covered by a wider rule | “Emirates forbids the transportation of all smart balance wheels (even with the lithium batteries removed) either as checked-in or carry-on baggage.” emirates.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Qantas | Banned — covered by a wider rule | “Forbidden dangerous goods” “Lithium batteries over 160Wh,” qantas.com, read 2026-09-24 |
Airlines with battery limits only (3)
| Airline | What it means | What the airline says |
|---|---|---|
| Sun Country Airlines | Battery limits only — no device rule found | “Additionally, one (1) spare battery, not exceeding 300 watt-hours (Wh), or two (2) spare batteries, not exceeding 100 watt-hours (Wh) each, may be carried on board the aircraft.” suncountry.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Air New Zealand | Battery limits only — no device rule found | “Up to 2 lithium-ion batteries exceeding 100Wh up to 160Wh” “In addition, you can carry up to 2 power banks no more than 100Wh each” airnewzealand.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Iberia | Battery limits only — no device rule found | “Lithium ion batteries: the Watt-hour rating must not exceed 100 Wh. On flights operated by Iberia, unless approved by the company, there is a maximum limit per person of 4 spare lithium batteries with a maximum of 100 Wh.” “With a Watt-hour rating exceeding 100 Wh but not exceeding 160 Wh for consumer electronic devices and PMED or with a lithium metal content exceeding 2 g but not exceeding 8 g for PMED only. Maximum of two spare batteries in carry-on baggage only.” iberia.com, read 2026-09-24 |
Trains and transit that name the hoverboard
| Operator | What it means | What the operator says |
|---|---|---|
| NJ Transit | Banned | “Hoverboards are not allowed on any NJ TRANSIT train, platform, station, facility, or terminal.” njtransit.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| PATH (New York / New Jersey) | Banned | “The possession of hazardous or flammable materials in the PATH system, such as the lithium-ion batteries used to power hover boards and e-scooters, is also prohibited.” panynj.gov, read 2026-09-24 |
| Amtrak | Banned | “Hoverboards, OneWheel, Unicycle and self-balancing scooters are prohibited on Amtrak property.” amtrak.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| MBTA (Boston) | Not ridden | “Biking, skateboarding, rollerskating, and hoverboarding are not permitted in MBTA vehicles and stations.” mbta.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| CTA (Chicago) | Not ridden | “Skateboarding, roller skating, using a hover or hubber board, bicycle riding or rollerblading or use of another recreational transportation device” transitchicago.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| Metra (Chicago) | Not ridden | “Roller-skating, rollerblading, skateboarding, using hoverboards, or using other recreational transportation devices on railcars or in transit stations.” metra.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| RTD (Denver) | Not ridden | “Riding a skateboard, inline or roller skates, bicycle, scooter, Segway, hoverboard, or other wheeled personal transportation device (unless used as a mobility aid for an individual with a disability) in or on any RTD vehicle, facility, or property.” rtd-denver.com, read 2026-09-24 |
| SEPTA (Philadelphia) | Allowed with restrictions | “This includes bicycles, scooters, electric bicycles, electric scooters, hoverboards, monowheels and other devices” septa.org, read 2026-09-24 |
| VIA Rail (Canada) | Carry-on, battery unplugged | “Small vehicles powered by lithium batteries are allowed as carry-on.” “These vehicles and devices include hoverboards, AirBoards, electric skateboards, airwheels, mini-Segways, drones and electric scooters.” viarail.ca, read 2026-09-24 |
Every other operator in our survey of 32 transit agencies either covers hoverboards under a broader rule or does not mention them: the full transit survey.
How to read this
Every quote is copied from the operator's own page, read on the date shown. The airline data is the same survey as flying with an electric skateboard, available as airline-rules.json. Rules change; check yours before you travel.
Questions this raises
Can you take a hoverboard on a plane?
Almost never. 27 of the 30 airlines we read refuse hoverboards in both the cabin and checked baggage. The TSA lets them through the checkpoint — “Hoverboards are allowed through the checkpoint. Please check with your airline for their policy.” — and the airlines have almost all said no.
Why are hoverboards banned on planes?
Because of the lithium-ion battery. Airlines need to approve any battery over 100 Wh, and IATA forbids a device whose battery exceeds 160 Wh in any baggage. Several airlines, including Air France, KLM and Qatar Airways, ban them even with the battery removed.
Can I bring a hoverboard on Amtrak?
No: “Hoverboards, OneWheel, Unicycle and self-balancing scooters are prohibited on Amtrak property.”
Can I bring a hoverboard on the subway?
Check your system. NJ Transit bans them from every train, platform and station; PATH prohibits the lithium-ion batteries that power them; Boston's MBTA, Chicago's CTA and Metra, and Denver's RTD forbid riding them. SEPTA lists hoverboards among the devices it allows with restrictions, and VIA Rail takes one as carry-on with the battery unplugged.
How do I travel with a hoverboard then?
By car, or shipped by ground with a carrier that accepts lithium batteries. We have not read carriers' rules for this page, so we name none.