Are magnets still a problem as luggage on air travel?
I have just read through 32 pages of luggage instructions by Air France and magnets are not mentioned at all. But the page says that the list is not complete. It does not say where to find the rest.
I seem to remember that magnets used to be shown on those check-in counters, together with fire-arms and other forbidden items. Have not had a chance to check a check-in-counter recently because was not traveling. And I seem to remember that back in 2015 I tried (inside checked luggage) and was asked to remove. So I am puzzled why in 2020 Air France does list exotic things like blood but does not mention magnets on their website.
I have four heavy-duty magnets for welding purposes (to hold steel parts in place) which can lift several kilos of steel. And two lesser magnets to lift petanque balls from the ground for sports, they can lift only one kilo. If I put all that inside my luggage, in the center, you cannot feel anything, when testing with a light-weight metal probe. Will it still make a modern airplane go off course?
Since I cannot send magnets from Germany overseas by parcel (so they are dangerous, or what), and since I travel for work overseas, I would like to bring my magnets inside my checked luggage.
Any experience or knowledge about traveling with magnets on airplanes or links to a special web-site? I came here and found over 1000 questions re allowed luggage items, but no magnets so far. Thank you.
update: it is now Oct 24, I have still not managed to get Air France on the phone, because I have to do this after work, for example now I am free, but they are closed; I have not given up on this question
update: November 19, 2020 I am presently on the phone with Air France, at last, after 25 minutes of ghastly music. The customer service agent told me that she never had a question about magnets for years; I had to switch over to English to clearly establish what I needed to know. I am now being put on hold - same music - while research is happening...
Best Answer
A commercial airliner is not going to "go off course" because of magnets, because they use GPS and many other means (VOR, inertial navigation, etc) to plot and stay on course. However, they can still cause interference with both aircraft systems and potentially other passengers' belongings, since eg. hard disks can be sensitive to magnets.
IATA's regulations state that for regular cargo, the magnetic field should be less than 5.25 milligauss at a distance of 7 feet. This is not very much, and in fact is so low that it can be hard to measure, but this blog from a magnet company has some ideas.
Note that Air France may have their own regulations on top of this, so the safest course is to call them up and ask. If you can get through to the cargo department, they can probably advise what's possible and how to pack it, since just chucking them in your suitcase is probably not going to cut it.
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