Originally published at: Lufthansa "bans AirTags in luggage" after passengers publicly shame them with location of lost luggage | Boing Boing
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P.S. I guess we now know which big airline is most concerned about its liabilities concerning things lost on flights and the competence of its baggage handlers.
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Just because they ban them doesn’t mean they’d be able to stop people from hiding them in their luggage. I certainly would consider doing so
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I suppose if one did so, and they lost your luggage, it would be problematic to call them out while using the AirTags data?
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Not to mention that there are free air tag detectors for phones .
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Are there any similar devices that can be set to turn on their broadcasting function at a specific time? If you could set it to turn on only say 30 minutes after the scheduled arrival time of your flight, it wouldn’t interfere with normal flight operations (assuming the flight operates on time) and so the airline wouldn’t be able to use this argument against them. But if the airline loses your bag, you will still be able to track it.
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“The plane could crash if it smells bluetooth devices so we have to ban them”
“Handcuffed suspect in police custody could have attacked so we had to shoot him”
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I think you’ve just identified a market for a new device.
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If their argument is really ‘interference with the airplane’, and then they lost your bag onto another airplane, or left it on your plane, or some other random in-flight bullshit, then the tag could arguably interfere with THAT airplane.
So not a perfect solution, especially if your luggage becomes Charlie on the MTA.
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A device could possibly check what altitude it’s in and if it’s not in the air it could turn on it’s tracking capabilities 
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Is this purely about trying to manage the embarrassment of angry customers who know more than you do about the location of the bag you lost; or are there any reports that Lufthansa is trying to stonewall on compensation and/or deny that the lost luggage ever existed?
It is my limited-but-not-as-limited-as-I’d-like understanding that there are legally mandatory remedies for lost luggage almost anywhere you’d want to risk flying to or from; and if there’s an EU jurisdiction, particularly on the receiving end, they are particularly toothy. Obviously you’d usually prefer to just have your luggage back; and if it’s your favorite childhood teddy bear or 50k in camera gear ‘up to 1,300 euros’ isn’t going to go too far; but it’s not like you need embarrassing location data in order to file a loss claim when you are standing there with your checked luggage receipt in the airport where your luggage isn’t.
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What b.s. I’ve been using Tiles in my luggage for years. For this very reason.
“Tiles use non-rechargeable lithium batteries, similar to those used in wrist watches or key fobs. You can pack them in both check-in and carry-on luggage. They are not restricted by aviation or transportation authorities. For more information about what you can pack, visit the TSA website.”
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they’ve had forty years to deconflict airline electronics with mobile phones and thirty years with laptops—everybody knows this is bullshit
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Luftahnsa’s had a summer of bad everything. Getting public billions was met with bad resource and staff planning - big oopsie.
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It would seem to make more sense to insist passengers put airtags in their luggage. Imagine the savings if you can make half your baggage handlers redundant!
What kind of capitalists are these fools?
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Seriously. Seeing how cheap air tags are (or the non apple competitors such as Tile, or even industrial solutions I’m sure exist), it’s really a surprise they don’t just clip on one when you check in your baggage and then don’t have to worry about paying disgruntled passengers for lost luggage ever again (of course some will still fall through the system, but it would be a tiny amount). Especially if the system was standardised by ICAO you could make sure they’re safe for plane travel and could talk to each other and to sensors in baggage handling equipment, making additional barcode luggage tags obsolete.
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This seems to be fake news.
See: Lufthansa has not banned AirTags | Hacker News
Since “Airplane mode” on Iphones doesn’t turn off bluetooth any longer, the airlines would have a hard time explaning while the tine bluetooth pings from the Airtags are a security risk and when the headphone usage via bluetooth isn’t.
BTW, I’ve personally flown with Airtags since this summer and it’s great to know for sure that
your bag made the plane and is with you. It certainly saves to time to complain is the bag hasn’t made it, because you don’t need to wait hours for it to show up if it’s somewhere else. (Also it’s great at your destination, instead of searching your hotel in your phone, in the evening, just have your phone show you where the bag is)
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I’ve been using these generic trackers on things for years. I’ve got different versions of them on my motorcycle, my bicycle, in my child’s backpack, everywhere. You’d better believe I put one in my luggage when I’m checking a suitcase - and I’ve been doing it since way before AirTag was A Thing…
https://www.amazon.co.uk/TKSTAR-Waterproof-Tracking-Powerful-PS110/dp/B01KX9HFWI/
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In the meantime, feel free to use your bluetooth earbuds, headsets, and other personal electronics in the cabin, 5 feet above where your bag is stored.
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