Last Updated: September 13, 2022
Can You Bring A Lighter On A Plane?
If you smoke or are carrying a lighter to say start a fire on a camping trip, you might be wondering if you can take a light onto a plane. Chances are you think that you can’t take a light on a plane since being able to start a fire in mid-air is dangerous.
However, this is not the case but there are TSA rules you will have to follow and they are slightly dependent on the type of lighter you are carrying.
Torch lighters, disposable, and zippo lighters are all the different types of lighters we will cover in this article so you can be confident about the best way to bring your light on a plane.
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So, Can You Bring A Lighter On A Plane?
Yes, the TSA allows you to bring a lighter on a plane, even in your carry-on bag but only certain types of lighters are allowed on the plane in your carry-on and others are ok in your checked baggage.
Can You Bring A Lighter In Your Carry On Bag?
The TSA’s rules are that disposable and zippo lighters are allowed in your carry-on bag and therefore can be brought onto the plane.
They don’t have to be empty of fuel either, as they hold less than the 100 ml TSA rule for liquids too. But, zippo lighters and disposable lighters are the only types of lighters allowed on the plane.
The TSA does not allow torch lighters, blue flame lighters, arc lighters, electronic lighters, plasma lighters, or e-lighters to come onto a plane in carry-on luggage. You also can’t bring any lighter that looks like a weapon, such as a lighter in the shape of a gun.
Another thing to be aware of is that you are not allowed to take out any zippo lighters or disposable lighters while on the plane as it can be seen as a threat or fire risk. Make sure to leave the lighter in your bag or in your pocket.
Lighter fluid is another thing that is not allowed on the plane in your carry-on. Even if you have less than 100 ml of lighter fluid, it is still not allowed to come onto the plane.
So, if you want to bring a lighter on a plane make sure it is one of those zippo-type lighters or a disposable lighter such as a Clipper.
Can You Bring A Lighter In Your Checked Luggage?
You might think that putting a lighter in your checked baggage might have fewer rules around it but the rules are actually stricter when it comes to lighters and checked baggage.
No lighters are allowed to be in your checked baggage due to them being a fire hazard unless they are 100% empty of lighter fluid.
If there is a single drop of lighter fluid in your lighter, it is still not allowed on your checked baggage. This rule also applies to lighter fluid, as you might have guessed.
There is only one way to get a lighter in your checked baggage and that is by having and using a DOT-approved lighter case. If your lighter is in a DOT-approved case it can go in your checked bags.
But, even if you have a DOT-approved case, you still can not put torch lighters, blue flame lighters, arc lighters, electronic lighters, plasma lighters, gun lighters, or e-lighters in either your carry-on or checked bags.
This means that the only type of lighters allowed in checked bags is disposable or zippo-type lighters, but only if they are in a DOT-approved case. It would be much easier to take them in your carry-on.
Can You Bring A Bic Lighter On A Plane?
You can bring Bic lighters on a plane as these count as a disposable lighter. You can bring a Bic lighter on a plane on your carry-on luggage or in your checked bags with zero fuel or on a DOT-approved lighter case.
Can You Bring A Butane Lighter On A Plane?
A butane lighter is more of a category that lots of types of lighters sit under, as long as they use butane. For example, torch lighters are butane lighters, as are disposable lighters and Zippos.
Butane lighters use butane which is a flammable liquid that becomes a flammable gas. Butane field lighters are safer than others since the flammable liquid becomes a gas and therefore can’t be sprayed.
Butane torch lighters are not allowed in your carry-on or checked bags, in fact, no butane lighters except disposable and zippo lighters are allowed in your carry-on or checked bags.
You can bring one disposable butane lighter or a zippo in your carry-on bags and you can bring an empty disposable butane lighter or zippo in your checked bags, or a full disposable butane or zippo lighter in your checked bags in a DOT-approved lighter case.
Can You Bring A Zippo Lighter On A Plane?
Zippos are allowed in carry-on bags, but only one is allowed, no more than that. They are also allowed in your checked luggage when they are empty or in a DOT-approved lighter case when full.
Can You Bring A Cigarette Lighter On A Plane?
If your cigarette lighter is either a zippo or a disposable lighter like a Bic or Clipper then you can bring it on the plane in your carry-on, but you can only bring one of them.
You can also bring either a zippo or a disposable lighter like a Bic or Clipper in your checked luggage if it is empty or when full and placed in a DOT-approved case.
If your cigarette lighter is a torch lighter, jet lighters, chef torches, micro torches, blue flame lighters, arc lighters, electronic lighters, plasma lighters, gun lighters, or e-lighters are not allowed in either your checked bag or carry-on bag.
Can You Bring Matches and Candles On A Plane?
You might be wondering whether the same rules that apply to lighters apply to matches and candles. Well, they don’t so let’s start with matches.
Matches
Again, you can bring some types of matches on a plane and other types of matches you simply can not. You are allowed to bring a single book or small box of safety matches onto a plane in your carry–on bags. But, if you have more matches than that in your carry-on bags, chances are a TSA agent will find and confiscate them.
Again, you are not allowed to bring your matches out on the plane as it is a fire risk and seen as threatening, so be sure to leave them in your carry-on bags for the whole flight.
You can not bring strike-anywhere matches on a plane in your carry-on so don’t bring these with you when you travel.
Matches are not allowed in your checked bag at all since they pose a fire risk and this includes all types of lighters, both strike-anywhere and safety matches. So, be sure to check the safety matches are in your carry-on not in your checked bags.
Candles
Candles also have their own rules but luckily they are much simpler since they don’t create fire as a lighter does. You can bring wax candles in both your carry-on and in your checked bags, and there is no limit on how many either.
Gel candles are not allowed in your carry-on luggage but you can pack them in your checked bags.
Can You Bring Vapes and E-Cigarettes On A Plane?
There are different rules for both Vapes and E-Cigarettes in regards to bringing them on a plane, but these are very simple.
Any vapes, e-cigarettes, or electronic nicotine delivery systems are allowed on a plane in your carry-on luggage and it is advised that you keep it in the original device packaging that it came with on the plane.
You are not allowed to put any vapes, e-cigarettes, or electronic nicotine delivery systems in your checked baggage and this is due to the lithium-ion batteries.
This is because the batteries can create a fire and this actually happened a few times in 2016 which is why this rule has come into existence.
Be sure to keep your vapes, e-cigarettes, or electronic nicotine delivery systems in your carry-on and not in your checked bags. You can leave it in your bag for security too and do not need to separate it unless it has liquid inside it, then it needs to be packed with your liquids bags.
Summing Up
If you need to travel on a plane with a lighter for any reason, make sure it is a disposable or zippo lighter and pack it in your carry-on. If it is any other type of lighter, leave it at home as it will probably be confiscated if you don’t!
The same goes for vapes, e-cigarettes, and other electronic nicotine delivery systems, keep them in your carry-on and you will be fine. They are not allowed in your checked bags.
About the Author Roger Timbrook
Roger is a little obsessed with travel. He has been to over 40 countries, broken 3 suitcases and owned over 10 backpacks in 12 months. What he doesn't know about travel, ain't worth knowing!
