The summer was marked by the discovery of luggage thanks to geolocation beacons. However, the airline Lufthansa has chosen to ban Apple AirTags. Based on the recommendations of the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), the German company qualifies these devices as dangerous. Therefore, they must be turned off before being placed in the hold.
Interruption of the proper functioning of the aircraft.
As the buzz started to grow on social media, a Twitter user posed the question directly to the company. The airline confirmed the ban on these devices: “Lufthansa prohibits activated AirTags in luggage because they are classified as dangerous and must be deactivated.”
Contacted by Tech&Co, the airline Lufthansa confirmed the ban on all geolocation devices. In question, the emission of frequencies -to locate the objects to which they are attached- that would disturb the proper functioning of the aircraft. “We just follow the ICAO recommendations,” a door told Tech&Co.
Embarrassed about lost luggage?
However, the arguments of the German company would not be admissible according to the AppleInsider site, which consulted several specialists in the aviation sector. First, the regulations invoked by the airline would only apply to larger devices, like MacBooks. So an AirTag does not use a lithium ion battery, covered by regulations, but only a button cell.
The media specialist in the products of the American brand also ensures that in the event of a ban on AirTags, connected watches, which use the same type of cells to function, should also be banned. But they are not. According to these experts, the ban could be linked to the airline’s embarrassment during the loss of luggage equipped with a geolocation system.
Since the launch of AirTags in the spring of 2021, many customers have begun to slide the accessory in their suitcase to locate it in real time in case of loss. In social networks, the publications of Internet users who question the tracking of the airlines have multiplied, accompanied by screenshots of the location of their luggage, sometimes undermining the communication of the latter.
Source: BFM TV
