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Lufthansa says AirTags allowed in checked bags after confusion over ban

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One of the world’s largest airlines has set the record straight on its policy for Apple AirTags, capping several days of confusion over whether the carrier was in fact banning the coin-size tracking device that some travelers have turned to for monitoring their checked luggage.

German airline Lufthansa on Wednesday clarified its policy, saying in a statement that German aviation authorities had agreed with its risk assessment that tracking devices such as AirTags pose no safety risk.

“These devices are allowed on Lufthansa flights,” Lufthansa concluded.

It was unclear when the airline’s risk assessment took place. The company did not respond to questions Wednesday about the AirTags policy, including why four days ago it was miscommunicated in tweets from its verified Twitter account.

Confusion over the policy at Lufthansa, which last year transported nearly 47 million passengers, briefly added to the pileup of headaches that air travelers have endured this year. The pandemic-hobbled airline industry had a particularly brutal summer full of delays and flight cancellations, labor shortages and lost-luggage nightmares.

But while there’s little consumers can do about an understaffed flight or overworked crew, AirTags and similar tracking products from Tile and Chipolo have emerged as a way for travelers to keep tabs on checked luggage that gets lost en route to baggage claim. Since Apple introduced the $29, coin-size tags last year, people have used them to find hauls of stolen luggage, catch a moving company driver in a lie and track all manner of lost or stolen goods, from car keys to dogs.

Baggage that is “mishandled” — industry speak for “lost, damaged, delayed, and pilfered” — remains a significant problem for travelers around the globe. Domestically, in July alone, 275,582 checked bags were mishandled by U.S.-based carriers, according to the Transportation Department’s Air Travel Consumer Report from September.

We asked: Will an AirTag save my lost luggage?

Before it reversed course Wednesday, Lufthansa appeared to be the only major carrier that had specifically banned AirTags from passengers’ checked luggage. In response to a customer’s question about the rumored ban, the company on Saturday replied from its official Twitter account that it considered activated AirTags to be dangerous; turning off AirTags renders them useless. It followed up to say baggage trackers were subject to dangerous-goods regulations, citing guidelines from the International Civil Aviation Organization.

Lithium batteries can catch fire if damaged, which is why regulators such as the Federal Aviation Administration requires objects such as cellphones, tablets, vape pens and cameras to be completely deactivated if stowed in checked baggage.

Lufthansa’s list of dangerous goods does not specifically address baggage trackers. A spokesperson for the ICAO said that since it is not a regulating body, the group was not in a position to comment on how its guidelines are interpreted or implemented but pointed to its guidelines that allow batteries in checked luggage if they are of low-enough range and lithium content.

Domestically, the Transportation Security Administration has said baggage trackers are allowed in checked and carry-on luggage. Brett Snyder, president of the air travel industry blog Cranky Flier, said regulators are responsible for keeping up with changing consumer technology that may pose safety concerns aboard planes.

“The airlines, until they have clarity, can interpret [regulations] however they see fit,” Snyder said. “And Lufthansa tends to be a very conservative company, so it’s not surprising they’d default to ‘you can’t use this.’”

Apple said in a statement that AirTags are “compliant with international airline travel safety regulations for carry-on and checked baggage.”

The tags are powered by CR2032 coin cell battery, the same used in watches, key fobs and some medical and fitness devices, which are permitted under guidance from domestic and international regulators such as the European Union Aviation Safety Agency. The devices connect to Apple’s Find My Device app, used on iPhones, via Bluetooth Low Energy, the same connective technology used in permitted items such as Bluetooth headphones.

And while AirTags are again cleared for takeoff in Lufthansa cargo holds, tracking lost bags only does so much good, Snyder said.

“I think the AirTags thing is funny. If my bags are lost, the airline isn’t going to listen to what I say,” Snyder said of the information supplied by his AirTags. “Maybe it’s peace of mind knowing my bags still exist … somewhere.”


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