Author: Redington Bernard

The German airline Lufthansa prohibits using the AirTags luggage tracking device. 

As much as its reasons remain shady, its failure to interpret the travel regulations is somewhat silly. So what’s the point of buying a luggage tracker to turn off when needed?

In this post, we’ll be looking at Lufthansa’s new luggage regulation and their reasons for forcing passengers to leave the security of their luggage in the hands of luck. (We’ll also be going over why Lufthansa’s claims are blatantly invalid)

Let’s get started!

Lufthansa Is Reportedly Banning Apple AirTags In Luggage

Lufthansa is now instructing its passengers to shut off any active Apple AirTags in their luggage calling the device a danger to flight safety. 

This development comes when the AirTag has become an almost invaluable travel tool for flight catchers due to the increasing numbers of luggage that become lost and (more often than you think) stolen.

During the summer, there were multiple instances of AirTags coming to the rescue, such as when a traveler traced her $16,000 luggage to an airline worker’s house using her AirTags. Or when passengers used data from their AirTags to set the record straight about the location of their bags, contradicting false claims from both airline workers and airline management.

It already seems clear that the AirTags are a smart and innovative piece of technological craft: it’s helping people, and passengers are happy about it, so why just go around banning a surefire way to track your missing bags?

Let’s dive into the reasoning behind Lufthansa’s so-called “danger to flight safety.”

Dangerous Item

It was reported in August that the airline would be handling AirTags the way laptops and phones are to be treated: like an electronic device, meaning owners must take out their batteries before flying as they classify as “hazardous goods.”

Questioned further on this claim, Lufthansa had this to say:

“According to ICAO guidelines, baggage trackers are subject to the dangerous goods regulations. Furthermore, due to their transmission function, the trackers must be deactivated during the flight if they are in checked baggage and cannot be used as a result.”

Now let’s look at why we should consider Lufthansa’s claim as what it truly is, inaccurate.

Why It’s Completely Wrong

Firstly, the regulation that Lufthansa is referring to stipulates lithium-ion battery regulations. This battery is used and found in large electronic devices such as the MacBook Pro or an HP Pavillion. 

Secondly, integrated into the AirTag is the CR2023 battery – which is not a lithium-ion battery and fails to qualify under the regulation. If the battery fell under the guidelines, then wristwatches that use CR2023 batteries would be subject to that same rule- but they aren’t

Simply put, the AirTag neither uses a lithium-ion battery nor is its battery even big enough to be considered a “threat to flight safety” under International Civilian Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulations.

Then Why Is Lufthansa Banning the AirTags?

Multiple aviation experts believe that the ban has nothing to do with the ICAO’s regulation: But it’s a measure for Lufthansa to avoid embarrassment from lost luggage.

Airlines now recognize that tracking devices will allow travelers to realize and track their missing luggage before the airline. This discovery could potentially cause a scene or result in a scenario where the company is required to defend its reliability.

Conclusion

Funny enough, Lufthansa permits AirTags to be carried into hold luggage only if you take batteries out. As if disconnecting your electronic tracker doesn’t instantly defeat the purpose of helping you know the location of your baggage at all times.

Lufthansa is the first airline to ban AirTags, and it looks unlikely that other top airlines will make this decision. In the U.S, Both the FAA and TSA allow AirTags and similar trackers in passenger luggage.