Earlier this week, Lufthansa, a German airline, made headlines when it announced it would no longer allow passengers to bring AirTags on board in their checked luggage. Even though Lufthansa’s official Twitter account previously tweeted that the trackers were “hazardous items,” the airline now claims that it will not ban the use of Apple’s AirTag.
Lufthansa considered banning AirTags –
Some concerned passengers on Twitter questioned Lufthansa about the validity of the notion that AirTags would no longer be allowed on the airline’s flights. Officially responding, Lufthansa stated that they are “banning activated AirTags from bags as they are classed as hazardous.”
Bag owners using AirTag (and perhaps other similar trackers) are required by Lufthansa to disable their devices before checking luggage. The company said it made this call because devices with transmitting capabilities are prohibited on board aircraft per ICAO regulations.
According to Airways Magazine, a Lufthansa representative said the airline does not prohibit passengers from using AirTags. In spite of this, the business stresses that “standing ICAO regulation on such gadgets, however, this has nothing to do with Lufthansa or with any other carrier.” At this time, we don’t know what prompted the airline to announce publicly that it will no longer allow passengers to use AirTags.
Although the Civil Aviation Organization ( icao (ICAO) does have regulations concerning the carriage of electronic gadgets in checked luggage, these rules only apply to devices powered by lithium-ion batteries. A CR2032 battery powers Apple’s AirTag, which is tiny and not thought to be a threat to aircraft safety. After all, conventional timepieces also require this type of battery.
What can and cannot be brought on board an airplane is regulated by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), as the study notes. While it is true that individual airlines have the authority to enact modest policy modifications, it seems unlikely that Lufthansa would have the authority to outright ban AirTags, particularly when other airlines do not appear to care.
Lost bags have been located with the help of AirTags –
It’s possible that Lufthansa contemplated banning Apple’s AirTag due to security concerns. There have been numerous tales of people reuniting with their lost luggage after using AirTag to track down the airlines that had originally misplaced them.
Apple’s inventory tracker can be set up in any convenient location. Backpacks & bags may be tracked with ease using this method because it can exchange data with other nearby Apple devices & works even when there is no internet connection.
This year, a man who had his luggage lost by Aer Lingus during a vacation was able to get it back. AirTags led him to the luggage’s location after the firm claimed it had no clue where they were, and the police were able to recover them from there. Airlines may decide to prohibit item trackers if they experience more embarrassing incidents like this one.
