The German airline Lufthansa is considering a ban on using activated Apple AirTags in luggage.
The chaos at airports this summer was enormous, London Heathrow among many suffering as passengers were forced to wait hours, even days, for their luggage.
Long queues have already become the norm, with more and more air travellers using AirTags from Apple so they know exactly where their luggage is: the small tracking devices have been developed as key finders, but they are now mainly used to identify the whereabouts of suitcases. Travellers can use the AirTags to track their luggage, finding out whether bags and cases have been left behind or sent to the wrong destination.
Now, however, this practice could be banned, with German and Swiss media reporting that Lufthansa could outlaw the use of AirTags in luggage that is checked in. This is because, strictly speaking, these are devices that have a transmitting function and, as such, like mobile phones or tablets, must be switched off when they are in baggage that has been checked in. This is what a spokesperson for the German airline Lufthansa told the media when asked and, according to the ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization), all portable electronic devices must be deactivated. In the case of AirTags, the battery would have to be removed, making the device useless. Although Lufthansa has not yet officially banned AirTags, the statement indicates that this could happen in the near future.
When asked about this, a spokesperson for Munich Airport said that there are no restrictions on using AirTags; however, airlines could very well follow the likely Lufthansa lead and announce bans. If such a ban were to come in, it would probably not be due to safety concerns: the power of the tiny Bluetooth transmitters in AirTags should hardly cause any problems, according to security experts. It is more likely that the airlines would not want passengers seeing for themselves where their suitcases are lying around ...
