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Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

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Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#261

Post by NavinF »

hacym wrote: post #190
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…

I don’t think that’s true, or at least how you worded it is bad. Events of thousands of people don’t make you turn off your cell phone, so it’s not because of traffic to a tower. Instead, it’s interference caused by altitude and the pinging of towers. It’s actually an FCC regulation that requires it, so it’s not a courtesy as you say.

> It’s actually an FCC regulation that requires it

I don't believe you. Regardless, I have never used airplane mode on an airplane and I never will.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#263

Post by Mikeb85 »

Lol Lufthansa is the absolute worst when it comes to lost luggage... Last time we flew with them they not only lost our luggage, but the luggage of every single person on the same connection (about 50 people). It seems as though they are actually simply incapable of figuring out how to keep track of luggage.

And of course allowing airtags would make that even more obvious.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#264

Post by Zigurd »

enumjorge wrote: post #177
sigwinch28 wrote: post #112

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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?

Stadiums are actually challenging problems for mobile network builders. That's tens of thousands of people. 300 people in a passing airplane are not a problem. Computers are fast. 3MPH, or 300MPH no longer matters to mobile networks until you actually overwhelm the number of calls/connections you can pack into one place's infrastructure.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#265

Post by capableweb »

Seems like a silly argument. But just for fun, Apple could add a "timer to on" functionality to the AirTag, so you can turn it off temporarily and it'll turn on by itself after X hours. So turned off first, and around when you land, have it automatically turn on.

Call it "Travel Mode" just like what 1Password calls it, as it's a defense against the same entity: adversaries.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#267

Post by rjcjvyd77 »

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…

> At one point, when both cell phones and laptops were new, there was perhaps a risk to the airplane's electronics.

There was never any risk. Someone wrote an article in the times suggesting "perhaps" and people freaked out.

There has never been a single instance or study to support this claim. The entire idea airplane mode is a farce.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#268

Post by rory »

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…

Before landing on the last flight I was on, the flight attendants requested that everyone turn off their phones (even if in airplane mode) due to the weather conditions while landing. Does anyone know what purpose that could possibly serve?

This was in France if that's a relevant clue.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#269

Post by Teknoman117 »

tsujamin wrote: post #137
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…

Although there have been some legitimate concerns raised about some 5G bands edging into altitude sensors https://www.icao.int/safety/FSMP/MeetingDocs/FSMP%20WG11/IP/...

I would argue the airlines and airplane manufacturers are far more at fault here.

The fact that aircraft systems are sensitive to frequencies outside their allocation is ridiculous. If literally anyone else was camping on frequency bands they didn't have the rights to the various regulatory bodies would be up in arms.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#270

Post by NegativeLatency »

madrox wrote: post #229
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…

I once forgot to put my cell phone in airplane mode during a flight from London to SFO (and didn't use my phone during the flight). I was rather alarmed to see a flood of text messages from my carrier welcoming me to Iceland, Canada, and the US upon my landing.

Had the same happen a couple of times on flights to Alaska from the US west coast. Surprised to see messages from Bell Canada
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