I eagerly await US carriers adding this as yet another contrived upsell.
Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage
41–50 of 629 posts
Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage
#42For all the people commenting "How would they know?", AirTags are scannable by NFC readers and identify themselves as an AirTag. You can test this yourself by downloading the NFC Tools app on your iPhone (or one for Android) and doing a read on the AirTag. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nfc-tools/id1252962749
If you stick it in the middle, it’s out of range. Unless you have some super powered scanner perhaps
if its out of range, its not much use as an airtag. circular logic
Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage
#43> This is specifically because of the transmission function. Lufthansa claims that the transmission function needs to be turned off during flight when in checked luggage, just as is required for cell phones, laptops, etc. While this is negligible and I can see a lot of people saying "Well who cares it's just one" if you imagine a lot of interference from a lot of baggage with them on a flight.. I haven't tested, but…
AFAIK you are still allowed to use Bluetooth and wifi in all phases of flight which is what the AirTag uses (ble). If you aren’t then someone should tell United because I stayed connected to their network watching a movie all the way from cruise altitude to the gate.
That's fair enough I guess. In the case of bluetooth I don't see an issue.
Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage
#44For all the people commenting "How would they know?", AirTags are scannable by NFC readers and identify themselves as an AirTag. You can test this yourself by downloading the NFC Tools app on your iPhone (or one for Android) and doing a read on the AirTag. https://apps.apple.com/us/app/nfc-tools/id1252962749
If you stick it in the middle, it’s out of range. Unless you have some super powered scanner perhaps
It still beacons. And sticking it in the middle will attenuate the beaconing by quite a bit (per my own testing), which defeats the purpose.
Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage
#45Good luck enforcing this ban. How would they? Open up suspect bags and tear them apart looking for a device the size of a quarter?
You’d have to admit to breaking this rule in order to point out any baggage misplacement.
I have an AirTag which turns off during flights and powers itself on after 24h. Hah. Compliance!
Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage
#46“ Lufthansa claims that the transmission function needs to be turned off during flight when in checked luggage, just as is required for cell phones, laptops, etc.”
On my phone, turning on airplane mode seems to disable the cell and wifi radios (with wifi able to be toggled back on) but Bluetooth defaults to staying on.
Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage
#47Earlier quoted context omitted.
I wonder if cargo bays could have a mesh or paint that would act as a faraday cage. I will admit that I suspected at first glance that this was to avoid accountability for luggage that is lost.
Well the fuselage does already, but the cargo bays are a faraday in a faraday ?
That's what I'd assumed, but I'm trying to use the most charitable interpretation of what their concern might be. I don't think it's an EM issue -at all-. I think it may be an accountability issue and the inconvenience of having to fly back individual parcels for no added profit in the face of proof.
Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage
#48> it just can’t transmit, which of course renders it useless
Because, what, it's impossible to program things like this to start transmitting after an N-hour radio silence?
Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage
#49> This is specifically because of the transmission function. Lufthansa claims that the transmission function needs to be turned off during flight when in checked luggage, just as is required for cell phones, laptops, etc. While this is negligible and I can see a lot of people saying "Well who cares it's just one" if you imagine a lot of interference from a lot of baggage with them on a flight.. I haven't tested, but…
I wonder if cargo bays could have a mesh or paint that would act as a faraday cage. I will admit that I suspected at first glance that this was to avoid accountability for luggage that is lost.
It’s not reasonable to implement something like that. Any gap would need to be Considering that half of the passengers are likely forgetting to put their device in airplane mode - and they’re all using Bluetooth headphones, there is effectively zero risk to the airplane.
Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage
#50Do they ban wristwatches with the same battery inside of them‽