Lufthansa Airlines Says AirTags Now Allowed in Luggage Amid Confusion

Germany’s flag carrier airline, Lufthansa, announced on Wednesday that it will not ban AirTags from flights.

A confusing situation came up with the airline over the weekend. There were conflicting media reports of Lufthansa planning to ban “activated” AirTags from luggage, classifying them as “dangerous” goods.

Some outlets were told by sources at Lufthansa that the company had no plans to prohibit AirTags on flights. However, these reports were contradicted by the airline’s official Twitter account, which said on Saturday that an AirTag ban was coming.

Lufthansa reportedly cited dangerous goods regulations issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) as the basis for the ban. The company argued that AirTags fall in the category of portable electronic devices under these regulations as they transmit their location.

From the get-go, the enforceability of such a policy was questionable at best. That said, it looks like Lufthansa is officially walking back any indication of a ban on AirTags.

The official Lufthansa Media Relations Twitter account (@lufthansaNews) decidedly said on Wednesday that “these devices are allowed on Lufthansa flights.”

“The German Aviation Authorities (Luftfahrtbundesamt) confirmed today, that they share our risk assessment, that tracking devices with very low battery and transmission power in checked luggage do not pose a safety risk,” the company said.

Apple launched AirTags for $39 CAD ($29 USD) last year to help customers keep track of their belongings (and more). AirTags are powered by Apple’s Find My network, which comprises over one billion devices worldwide. They work by communicating with nearby Apple devices and transmitting their location through them.

Among many other things, AirTags have helped expose how callously most airlines treat travellers’ baggage. After all, it’s pretty embarrassing for your airline when they can’t locate your luggage but you can see exactly where it is on your phone.

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