- Lufthansa has banned activated AirTags in passengers’ luggage according to German media.
- The airline stated that the tags were dangerous goods and must be removed.
- Trackers were used by travelers to help them navigate through a summer filled with chaos at airports and lost luggage.
Lufthansa has instructed passengers to disable tracking devices that are stored in their luggage. The hardware will no longer be able to keep track of the bags.
Local publication WirtschaftsWocheIn August, it was reported that the German airline treated the tags (e.g. Apple’s AirTag) as electronic devices like laptops and phones. This indicated that they would need to be removed before flying, since they were considered “dangerous goods.”
This would make it difficult to keep track of luggage and tags during travel.
Lufthansa spokeswoman told WirtschaftsWoche that baggage trackers are part of the category of portable electronic gadgets and are therefore subject the International Civil Aviation Organization’s dangerous goods regulations for carriage inside aircrafts.
Accordingly, trackers can be used in the same way as cell phones, tablets, and laptops because of their transmission function. If they are in checked baggage, the trackers must be used during the flight.
Air tracking hardware such as the Apple AirTag It was a saving gracePassengers during a summer of travel chaos when thousands of bags were lost.
Some passengers even had the ability to access data from their tags! To contradict airline claimsAn Apple AirTag will provide information about the location of their luggage. Assist in tracking a lost bag to an airline workerHe was then charged with theft.
Berlin Brandenburg Airport’s spokesperson Watson in a local newspaperIn a statement, the airport stated that it did not prohibit trackers such as AirTags and that they would typically not be taken from luggage.
However, the spokesperson said that the airport adhered to the guidelines of all its airlines. This suggests that active trackers in bags bound for Lufthansa flights could be removed.
“Basically, my coworkers deal with the baggage act in accordance to the specifications of airlines. Because [airlines basically decide]The spokesperson stated that they would inform passengers about what is allowed and what isn’t on their planes.
Lufthansa did in fact not respond immediately to Insider’s request for comment outside of normal working hours.
