Yesterday there was controversy that Lufthansa prohibited the use of AirTags in checked baggage. The company was hiding behind the fact that, since they carried batteries and were transmitters, they were considered hazardous materials and, therefore, their use was prohibited.
Logically, many users are on top of the airline considering that, in reality, the ban was put in place to prevent users from seeing what was happening with their luggage.
After the commotion caused, and taking into account that no other airline was following in the footsteps of Lufthansa, the company has backed down and will not prohibit the use of AirTags on its flights. At least not at the moment.
In a statement sent to Airways Magazine, the airline confirms that “We haven’t banned AirTags”. In addition, it also took the opportunity to ensure that, from Lufthansa, no guideline or regulation had been published to ban Apple trackers. All despite the fact that his communication department had pointed to the ban in various user queries on Twitter.
Lufthansa confirms that it never banned AirTags, despite its tweets saying otherwise
However, the company has not been especially specific regarding the controversy, since in the same statement it continues to point to ICAO standards, about battery-powered transmitting devices that may or may not go in the hold.
Again, despite the fact that AirTags do not fall into that category, unless the regulation is especially twisted. This is what a Lufthansa spokesperson told Airways Magazine:
There is a permanent ICAO regulation on such devices, but this has nothing to do with Lufthansa or any other carrier.
-Lufthansa spokesperson to Airways Magazine.
Therefore, and taking into account the circumstances, it remains unclear what moment or circumstance led the airline to say publicly that it would ban AirTags on its flights. And it is that, despite everything, the tweets about the ban are still available today:
The strangest thing of all is that, in 2016, the Star Alliance airlines (to which Lufthansa belongs) and RIMOWA partnered to launch a suitcase with a built-in electronic tag. However, they withdrew the product from the market due to battery fire issues. AirTags, on the other hand, do not have enough power for this (they use a 3V battery), nor is their transmitter as powerful.