New Rule: No E-Cigs in Checked Bags

The DOT Monday announced what NJ.com calls an "air safety twist": letting airline passengers carry their e-cigarettes into the cabin in their carry-on bags or on their person, but banning the devices in checked luggage. The agency's Pipeline and Hazardous Materials Safety Administration, in conjunction with the FAA, said in its statement that electronic smoking devices (which include vaporizers and electronic nicotine-delivery systems in addition to e-cigs) are being taken out of checked bags due to recent smoke and fire incidents. Also not allowed: charging the device or its batteries in the cabin (or, obviously, puffing on it), per NBC News. The new "interim final rule" is based on a safety alert issued in January that detailed situations in which the devices overheated. (More e-cigarettes stories.)