Lufthansa Bans AirTags in Checked Luggage

[In The News]

DALLAS – Multiple reports have surfaced online in recent days indicating that Lufthansa (LH) has prohibited the carriage of Apple’s AirTag tracking device within checked-in luggage.

Because it allows passengers to track the location of their checked luggage after it has been checked in, the small tracking device has become a popular addition to the contents of many travelers’ checked luggage.

Many of us have experienced the sinking feeling of being at the baggage reclaim when the moving belt abruptly comes to a halt and your bag is nowhere to be found. I experienced a similar situation earlier this year after arriving on a flight within Europe, and before I even registered my bag as missing, I could tell it was still at the point of departure.

When my suitcase finally arrived, I tracked its progress and was able to go to the airport and describe exactly where my bag was within the airport to the airline agent that served me.

Airlines are beginning to realize that this tracking device allows us to confirm that our bag has gone missing even before we leave the gate. A friend who is a Captain at another large European carrier, recently told me a story about how he was preparing for pushback and the cabin crew relayed an unusual message from a passenger on board.

He was informed that a passenger claimed that his checked baggage was not on board and that it must be loaded, or he would offload himself. A situation that could easily turn a flight that was scheduled to depart on time into one that is now delayed.

Lufthansa D-AIGX Airbus A340-313. Photo:Max Langley/Airways

Role of IATA

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The International Air Transport Association (IATA) establishes the rules for what can and cannot be carried on board and publishes them in their ‘Dangerous Goods Regulations’ manual. If an existing IATA policy is deemed insufficiently robust, airlines can make minor changes to their own policies. When it comes to the transport of portable electronic devices, Lufthansa’s passenger advice mirrors that of IATA.

Without getting into the specifics of the battery that powers the AirTag, IATA policy states unequivocally that, “devices in checked baggage must be completely switched off.” This sentence appears to be what Lufthansa is using to justify prohibiting passengers from checking luggage with AirTag devices inside.

During Europe’s recent peak travel season, staff shortages at airports and within airlines separated many passengers from their checked luggage. The IATA dangerous goods rules for transporting portable electronic devices have not changed, nor has Lufthansa’s adherence to them.

Instead, it appears that the German airline has simply run out of patience with passengers who discover their luggage has gone missing before arriving at their destination and must deal with the ensuing customer service nightmare.

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Featured Image: Lufthansa D-AIMC Airbus A380-841. Photo:Julian Schöpfer/Airways

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