I have seen quite a few asking about airlines' policies on drones and batteries. Perhaps we could have a sticky on this and update it as and when airlines release new information.
Here's what I know:

Policy on Drones

Emirates (link)
"Drones are not allowed as cabin baggage

For safety reasons, we can’t allow drones on board as cabin baggage. Drones can be accepted as checked-in baggage only. If you have a drone in your checked-in baggage you’ll be asked to either secure the Lithium batteries within the drone or remove the batteries and carry them in your cabin baggage. This regulation still applies even if you’re connecting to our flights from an airline that has accepted drones as cabin baggage."

Policy on Batteries

General policies (Links to specific policies: Emirates; Singapore Airlines; Thai Airways; FAA [US Airlines]; Qatar)
Less than 100Wh - Allowed in Cabin Baggage/Carry-on; Allowed in Check-in only if in equipment
Between 101Wh and 160Wh - Allowed in Cabin Baggage/Carry-on but with quantity limitation (commonly 2)
Above 160Wh - Not allowed in check-in or carry-on.

British Airways has slightly more restictive policies on spare batteries (link)
Less than 100Wh - Max 4 allowed in Cabin Baggge (including power banks)
Between 101Wh and 160Wh - pre-approval required

Great info, especially for Emirates!

Practically every other airline actually requires you to carry drones as cabin baggage, or at least the batteries...  So what's the deal with emirates?

Wellsi Posted at 2017-1-5 12:07
Practically every other airline actually requires you to carry drones as cabin baggage, or at least the batteries...  So what's the deal with emirates?

Perhaps they think that a powered up drone is dangerous, which is true in some ways.

great idea with the sticky :-)

when emirates released this statement, i assume they only knew drones like phantoms, inspire, yuneecs and so on. big and bulky.
Do you think when travelling with a small mavic you still need to put in in your checked baggage? i'm going to fly with emirates next summer and i plan on bringing my mavic. I really don't want to put it in my checked baggage though, i'm afraid its going to break.

They base the battery rules on this:

IATA Guidelines

Mavic batteries are 43.6 Wh

yes on the sticky

  Okay, a little clarification....as stated below each Mavic Battery is 43.6 Wh.  Checking into the IATA link supposedly you can have unlimited spares as carry-on, but no spares in checked luggage.  The IATA guidelines definitely tell you what's what.  The way I interpret it you can bring as many spares as you want as carry-on and can't have any spares in checked luggage, though you can have the mavic with it's one battery installed as checked luggage.
  

This is for travel in the US.
Specific airlines may also have their own rules.

Does anyone have any information about Germania Airlines?

This emirates rule is quite strange, not to be allowed to have your drone in cabbin baggage. Because you can buy drons in the airport itselfs during your waiting for connection flight.
Anyone has recent experience? I am about to fly this Saturday with them. ... right now planing to have drone inside check-in bag and batteries in carryon.

ColomboPilot, please can you update us with your experience with Emirates. I am flying with them to Australia from the UK in 4 weeks and would be really interested to hear how you got on.

Thank you

TechNet1uM Posted at 2017-7-19 01:35
ColomboPilot, please can you update us with your experience with Emirates. I am flying with them to Australia from the UK in 4 weeks and would be really interested to hear how you got on.

Thank you

I just flew from Australia to Europe and back via Dubai carrying my MavicPro with no issue.  Emirates airlines want you to check it in according to a remote part of their website, but I ignored that with no issues. I carry the MP in a small camera bag so it is no obvious and easy to scan separately through security. Remember it is not Emirates that does security checks! No one at any airport took any undue interest . I watched an excellent YouTube video on drones/airport security before I went and it set my mind at ease.   I even took a printed copy of Emriates "Dangerous Goods" pages to show a drone was not covered, in case I got into an argument.Just don't be obvious and you will fly under the radar ;-)  

chub1962 Posted at 2017-7-19 04:54
I just flew from Australia to Europe and back via Dubai carrying my MavicPro with no issue.  Emirates airlines want you to check it in according to a remote part of their website, but I ignored that with no issues. I carry the MP in a small camera bag so it is no obvious and easy to scan separately through security. Remember it is not Emirates that does security checks! No one at any airport took any undue interest . I watched an excellent YouTube video on drones/airport security before I went and it set my mind at ease.   I even took a printed copy of Emriates "Dangerous Goods" pages to show a drone was not covered, in case I got into an argument.Just don't be obvious and you will fly under the radar ;-)

A print out of the dangerous goods page is a great idea. To be honest I to was just going to pop it in my rucksack along with my GoPro case and not mention it. I've carried projectors and all sorts through before and never had any problems.

Thanks for the info!

Why don't we need to take off the battery installed on the drone when travelling? The lithium battery is "dangerous" only when they are disconnected? Why the battery on the drone is safer?

chub1962 Posted at 2017-7-19 04:54
I just flew from Australia to Europe and back via Dubai carrying my MavicPro with no issue.  Emirates airlines want you to check it in according to a remote part of their website, but I ignored that with no issues. I carry the MP in a small camera bag so it is no obvious and easy to scan separately through security. Remember it is not Emirates that does security checks! No one at any airport took any undue interest . I watched an excellent YouTube video on drones/airport security before I went and it set my mind at ease.   I even took a printed copy of Emriates "Dangerous Goods" pages to show a drone was not covered, in case I got into an argument.Just don't be obvious and you will fly under the radar ;-)

Had the same experience with Emirates: just put it on your hand baggage, and that's it. No one questioned, neither the Security Control.

Just remember to remove the battery since you do not want in any way that your drone powers on, which may happen if someone puts his luggage over yours.

TechNet1uM Posted at 2017-7-19 01:35
ColomboPilot, please can you update us with your experience with Emirates. I am flying with them to Australia from the UK in 4 weeks and would be really interested to hear how you got on.

Thank you

Hi,  so i did travel via Dubai with MP packed in checkin luggage and batteries in my camera bag as cabbin lugagae and no issue. ... but i have to repeat, that Emirates rule is very strange, as inside airport you can buy any kind of drones and carry them with you to the cabbin. Or have them 'ready to fly' inside airport.Picture from terminal A:

Electronics shop at terminal 3

Thanks Colombo. I too had no problems flying with Emirates with the MP in my rucksack, i took it out at security and laid it bare and no-one said anything so I wouldn't see this as being an issue at all. I imagine they are covering more things like the Phantom or even Inspire.

ColomboPilot Posted at 2017-7-26 13:37
Hi,  so i did travel via Dubai with MP packed in checkin luggage and batteries in my camera bag as cabbin lugagae and no issue. ... but i have to repeat, that Emirates rule is very strange, as inside airport you can buy any kind of drones and carry them with you to the cabbin. Or have them 'ready to fly' inside airport.Picture from terminal A:

[view_image]

Hello Colombo,

Sorry to heat up this topic, but I considering to purchase a DJI in Dubai next time Im there (due to financial consideration). ))
So in case I buy a Spark or Mavic Air inside the terminal, its allow as a cabin baggage?

Thanks in advance,
Adam

Good info...thx

Hey, just a heads up on Air New Zealand, that says no to Lithium batteries on flight
airnewzealand.com/restricted-items

Skarnet Posted at 11-10 06:00
Hey, just a heads up on Air New Zealand, that says no to Lithium batteries on flight
airnewzealand.com/restricted-items

heads up, they have different info on their website here:
airnewzealand.com/travelling-with-lithium-batteries