Passengers on Australia’s major airlines will face new rules on the use of power banks, as Virgin, Qantas and Jetstar update their guidelines starting next month.

The move comes as safety concerns over the use of the devices has prompted airlines and regulators to act.

Starting on December 1, passengers on Virgin Australia will not be able to use power banks - the small, self-contained battery packs used to charge phones and other devices - on flights. Starting on December 15, Qantas has announced the same restrictions in tandem with Virgin, which will affect Qantas, QantasLink and Jetstar planes.

While passengers can still carry “power banks, spare batteries and small portable electronic devices” they must “be easily accessible throughout the flight”, Virgin said in a statement.

Virgi

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