It wasn’t all that long ago that you could bring your pillow onto a Southwest Airlines flight and no one would bat an eyelid; now it counts as a carry-on. And it was just about a year ago that the airline ruled that portable chargers “must be visible (not stored in bags). Must not be used to charge devices in overhead bins.”
Welp, it’s a new day, so apparently there’s a new ban at Southwest. This one is a little weird, though.
Southwest’s newest ban is…robots
They’ve banned humanoid, animal-like robots from flights.
And they can’t be in the cabin OR as checked baggage.
Meet Stewie
The policy change comes after a recent viral incident involving a humanoid robot named Stewie that traveled on a Southwest flight from Las Vegas to Dallas.
According to CBS News Texas, Stewie’s owner, Dallas entrepreneur Aaron Mehdizadeh, decided to buy the 3.5-foot robot its own seat instead of shipping it as cargo. Mehdizadeh owns The Robot Studio, a company that rents humanoid robots for entertainment at weddings, parties and conventions. They typically walk around events, dance, tell jokes, etc.
Stewie was fitted with a small battery before boarding. With the battery in place, the robot was able to walk through the airport and onto the plane. That, of course, drew attention from passengers and flight attendants.
“Most people were very excited to see a robot flying and (it) provided so much entertainment,” Mehdizadeh told CBS News Texas. During the flight, many passengers took selfies with Stewie.
According to Mehdizadeh’s post on X, he had tried and failed on multiple occasions to travel with his company’s humanoid robots because “batteries are always the issue.”
“This time we cracked it. Custom lithium pack, spec’d just under the legal limit,” he wrote. “Stewie boarded, buckled up, and flew like a completely normal passenger.” In the comment section, he detailed that Stewie went through the X-ray machine.
Mehdizadeh wrote all about it on his blog on The Robot Studio.
“And honestly, judging by the reactions throughout the entire trip, this probably won’t be Stewie’s last flight,” he wrote.
Unfortunately, it was.
Why Southwest changed the rules
Unfortunately, Stewie’s battery was lithium-ion, which was a problem for Southwest. So then the airline decides, ” Nope, no more humanoid robots, because they might have lithium-ion batteries to power them.
Even though everything from cell phones to laptop computers also uses lithium-ion batteries, they’re certainly allowed on board. Mehdizadeh even says the type of battery he uses for Stewie is a laptop battery.
Mehdizadeh was not happy
“This morning a Southwest employee leaks us the internal training they just pushed to EVERY flight attendant companywide,” he wrote. “Mandatory. Urgent. With a photo of Stewie on the plane as the example of what to look out for.”
“We didn’t break a single FAA rule. Not one,” Mehdizadeh said in his post. “They just weren’t ready for us. Robophobic? Arguably.”
From Mehdizadeh’s Instagram:
What’s still allowed? And what’s not
Anyway, in case you were planning on bringing a humanoid robot on board Southwest. Don’t. The airline defines a “human-like robot” as “a robot designed to resemble or imitate a human in its appearance, movement or behavior.” An “animal-like robot” (which is also not allowed now) is defined similarly, but as a robot that’s designed to imitate an animal.
BUT! Good news! All other robots (read: not ones that imitate humans or animals), including toys, are still allowed if they fit inside a carry-on-size bag.
And, of course, don’t use lithium-ion batteries.
This is nuts
Honestly, this whole thing feels a little ridiculous.
Southwest didn’t ban lithium-ion batteries. They didn’t ban electronics. They didn’t ban large devices with moving parts.
They specifically banned robots that look like humans or animals.
<p”>So apparently your laptop battery is perfectly fine…unless it happens to be attached to something with a face.
And while I absolutely understand airlines wanting to be cautious about battery safety, this feels less like a carefully thought-out aviation policy and more like:
“OMG THE ROBOTS ARE HERE. QUICK, MAKE A RULE.” 😏
Meanwhile, somewhere, a Roomba is feeling VERY relieved right now.
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