American Airlines: can you take a vape, lighter and cigarettes on board?

American's restricted items page (as published on 11 July 2026) lists vapor cigarettes and e-cigarettes as allowed in a carry-on bag and not allowed in checked bags. Its reason: "some electronic cigarettes use lithium-ion batteries". They "aren't allowed to be used onboard any flight", and American recommends travelling with one in a designated carry case.

If your carry-on is checked at the gate, the conditions of carriage (as published on 1 July 2026) tell you to remove and carry on any e-cigarettes and spare batteries.

The page adds a note that applies on arrival: "Electronic cigarette regulations vary by country." American tells you to check the official government site of every country you travel to, through or from. Our vape on a plane guide covers e-liquid and country bans. American's pages do not mention heated tobacco devices such as IQOS.

American gives counts, by watt-hours (Wh), for lithium-ion spares. All of them must be in the carry-on and individually protected:

Power banks are carry-on only, with a limit of two per passenger on board. A vape battery under 100 Wh sits in the first row.

The lighters and matches entry reads allowed in the carry-on bag, not allowed in checked bags. The carry-on list:

• Common "Bic style" lighters and unsealed "Zippo style" lighters
• 1 book of safety matches
• Not allowed at all: torch or wind-proof lighters, "strike-anywhere" matches and lighter fluid

One departure rule overrides that: "When traveling to / from / through Japan, you can carry one lighter per person." If your itinerary touches Japan, carry one. Other departure-country bans, such as mainland China's, are in our lighter guide.

American's restricted items page has no entry limiting cigarettes. The TSA allows cigarettes, cigars and tobacco in both carry-on and checked bags, so the ceiling is the customs allowance on arrival. American's home country is the United States: see the US rules page. Its long-haul network also reaches the United Kingdom, Mexico and Japan, each with its own vape and tobacco rules.

American's page bans using an e-cigarette on any flight. The US ban comes from federal rule 14 CFR 252.3, which defines smoking to include electronic cigarettes whether or not they contain tobacco. We found no fine stated by American. The FAA's penalty table lists up to USD 5,478 per violation for tampering with a lavatory smoke alarm, a figure that may have been raised by a later inflation adjustment.

See what we have on smoking areas at Dallas Fort Worth, Charlotte, Miami, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Chicago O'Hare, Washington Reagan, Los Angeles and New York JFK. Each list says whether the areas are before or after security.