Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage • Hacker News Board

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#171

Post by whatever1 » Fri, Oct 07, 2022, 11:13 PM UTC

dghlsakjg wrote: post #118

chrisseaton wrote: post #91

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> at least not while airlines are still constantly losing luggage Does that actually happen to people still? I thought it was just a 90s meme. I get a push notification every time they move my bag anywhere. 'Accepted into the system', 'loaded onto the plane', 'unloaded off the plane', 'popped out at the carousel'. Seems pretty bullet proof these days.

American Airlines self-reported a baggage mishandling rate just short of 1% this year. That seems really high to be honest, when you consider that most planes have a minimum of 150 passengers. 2022 was an anomalous year since the airlines ramped up their schedules without having support staff at the airports to handle it. The statistics seem to indicate a tripling of lost luggage rates.

For international trips this is close to 10%.

My math professor is flying once a month to Europe from the US for the past 20 years. He told me about this statistic he built from his trip history and I thought he was exaggerating.

On my 10th trans-Atlantic trip of course I lost my luggage.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#172

Post by dudul » Fri, Oct 07, 2022, 11:14 PM UTC

aliqot wrote: post #35

dghlsakjg wrote: post #20

The cat is out of the bag. There is no way that people are going to stop putting AirTags in their luggage, at least not while airlines are still constantly losing luggage and fighting people on reimbursement.

I do see how they'd find it bothersome. Imagine what it must be like that the situation before was: "Oh no my baggage is lost!" "Oooh that's rough! We'll let ya know!" then nothing. Where now what it might be like is: "Oh no my baggage is lost at XYZ airport at your terminal" and that accountability is somewhat forced now because they can't just say it wasn't found or it is 'in transit' when it really isn't.

How is it bothersome? People are doing their job and telling them where the bag is. They should be happy when customers go the extra mile to fix their broken system.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#173

Post by golem14 » Fri, Oct 07, 2022, 11:15 PM UTC

heisenzombie wrote: post #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.

Apple could add a pressure sensor and disable transmission while in the air. Yes, might be not working for Tahoe or Mexico City but work in most places.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#174

Post by ghaff » Fri, Oct 07, 2022, 11:15 PM UTC

bilekas wrote: post #53

ghaff wrote: post #28

Earlier quoted context omitted.

>All carriers, switching to airplane mode is a federal requirement on U.S. domestic flights. How many people do you think actually do this. (I mostly do, when I remember.) If it's actually a problem, the FAA would be dealing with it other than hoping passengers individually pressed all the right buttons.

> How many people do you think actually do this. (I mostly do, when I remember.) I'm EU based and not flying every day but any flight at all it's always in airplane mode. It's like a seatbelt on a car for me, it's just done. I'm biased but I would like to believe most people remember,

That is almost certainly optimistic but given that planes are not falling out of the air or reporting a lot of electronic interference issues it's probably OK as things stand.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#175

Post by bombcar » Fri, Oct 07, 2022, 11:15 PM UTC

Some airline should advertise that you can put them in and make fun of Luftwaffle losing all your lugs.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#176

Post by gruez » Fri, Oct 07, 2022, 11:15 PM UTC

xwdv wrote: post #153

rconti wrote: post #58

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get that it's inconvenient and could be used nefariously. I'm not sure what kinds of worker protections airline staff have in Europe, but I can see why it might be problematic that I'm tracking the employee as they drive their van full of lost luggage to my hotel. Still, it's my stuff, so I'm going to keep putting AirTags in every bag I travel with. I'm sorry, but.. what are they going to do? Ban me from the airlin…

Quoted post unavailable.

1. you could always use the "oops, must have forgotten the airtag from my last trip :^)" excuse

2. The relevant authorities[1][2] seem to say that batteries in checked luggage is fine as long as it's in install equipment, so you're not violating any regulations that would get you reported.

[1] https://www.iata.org/contentassets/6fea26dd84d24b26a7a1fd578...

[2] https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/lithium-batteries-baggage

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#177

Post by enumjorge » Fri, Oct 07, 2022, 11:16 PM UTC

sigwinch28 wrote: post #112

nostrademons wrote: post #76

Note that the reason for airport mode is a courtesy to cell-phone carriers. It's not any air safety issue. Rather, 300-500 cell phones all trying to contact the next cell tower, multiple times per minute, would wreak havoc on cell service. https://www.inverse.com/article/51015-cell-phone-use-on-airp... At one point, when both cell phones and laptops were new, there was perhaps a risk to the airplane's electronics. Mo…

> Note that the reason for airport mode is a courtesy to cell-phone carriers. This doesn’t track. What about trains?

And movie theaters, malls, stadiums. Maybe I’m missing something?

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#178

Post by pgt » Fri, Oct 07, 2022, 11:17 PM UTC

Lessons from recent lost luggage:

1. Fly direct if you can.

2. Insure your luggage.

3. If you must connect flights, stick with one airline, leave a 2-hour gap between flights and fly earlier in the day so you don’t end up in a dodgy hotel.

4. Put important stuff in hand luggage, incl. warm tops and underwear.

5. Use an AirTag.

Recently waited a month for my luggage after a missed Vueling connection due to striking baggage handlers. The airline claimed it was due to a “technical issue.” Wish I had bought an AirTag. You’d be surprised how the cost of small items add up…

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#179

Post by cardiffspaceman » Fri, Oct 07, 2022, 11:17 PM UTC

rconti wrote: post #156

svnpenn wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Quoted post unavailable.

Why do you think I think I'm special? I simply think we're all humans, with basic rights, such as being able to keep tabs on our personal property, within reason-- which, surely, a small, light, unobtrusive tracker that has no known problematic failure modes, and which contains a battery that is within the checked baggage limits comports with? I made no suggestion that I should be able to shirk the rules while everyo…

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Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#180

Post by counttheforks » Fri, Oct 07, 2022, 11:17 PM UTC

svnpenn wrote: post #120

yreg wrote: post #109

Earlier quoted context omitted.

They cannot ban all of us.

yeah, they really can. Flights are a sellers market, they run near empty flights often. Plus less people are using AirTags than you think. Again, I think its a dumb rule. But don't think you are special and can just ignore it forever with no consequences.

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