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Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

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Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#311

Post by rory »

atlasunshrugged wrote: post #305
rory wrote: post #297

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm pretty ignorant of airplane models, Air France flight but it was a large plane so may have been a Boeing 777.

I think they meant because it's Air France and the EU generally tries to support Airbus (based in Europe) rather than Boeing (based in the U.S.) it seems likely that it is an Airbus aircraft

I understand-- I looked it up, and although they're only buying Airbus going forward, most of their 10-across fleet is still 777: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Air_France_fleet

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#312

Post by imwillofficial »

crystaln wrote: post #301
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…

The term airplane mode will persist as an anachronism forever. Some day we will have to explain to our grandchildren why disabling networks has anything to do with airplanes.

“Grandpa, what’s an airplane?”

“Well Nancy, before instant interdimensional travel…”

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#313

Post by layer8 »

leifg wrote: post #276

Knowing German I read through the sources. This article is pretty misleading. The [primary source]( https://www.watson.de/leben/urlaub%20&%20freizeit/879935671-... ) is a slightly clickbait article asking the questions: "Are AirTags allowed in checked luggage?". They reached out to Lufthanse asking them. They responded: "Luggage trackers are electronic devices so they have to be turned off when the luggage is checked…

Translation of the cited statement by the Lufthansa spokesperson:

“Baggage trackers belong to the category of Portable Electronic Devices and are therefore subject to the Dangerous Goods regulations issued by the International Civil Aviation Organization for carriage in aircraft. Accordingly, the trackers must be deactivated during the flight due to their transmission function, similar to cell phones, laptops, tablets, etc., if they are in the checked baggage.”

This likely refers to the following regulations: https://www.icao.int/safety/DangerousGoods/

From the 2017 addendum no. 2:

“Portable electronic devices containing lithium metal or lithium ion cells or batteries […]

d) if devices are carried in checked baggage:

— measures must be taken to prevent unintentional activation and to protect the devices from damage; and

— the devices must be completely switched off (not in sleep or hibernation mode);”

Note that the AirTag batteries contain lithium.

So Lufthansa is merely citing the applicable ICAO regulations, which presumably apply to all civil airlines.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#314

Post by spideymans »

crystaln wrote: post #301
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…

The term airplane mode will persist as an anachronism forever. Some day we will have to explain to our grandchildren why disabling networks has anything to do with airplanes.

My most frequent use of the airplane mode, is when I go underground on metro systems, which I find pretty ironic.

(Without Airplane Mode, the phone will keep trying to connect to cellular towers, which just makes the network experience unstable)

Perhaps "Underground Mode" would be more suitable in a modern context /s

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#315

Post by josephcsible »

HWR_14 wrote: post #290
seanp2k2 wrote: post #215

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"this bag is too heavy" OK, I guess I'll...move a few things from there into another bag that is going onto the same flight, possibly the bag of someone I'm traveling with. Now you have reduced the flying weight of the plane by exactly 0 grams and made everyone a few percent more angry / delayed / stressed out. This is a dumb policy.

It's not just about the weight on the plane. It's about the equipment and people who move the bags around. Clearly, people have some upper limit they need to be expected to lift as baggage handlers.

It was a carry-on bag that was overweight, so nobody other than the passenger would be handling it.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#316

Post by ceejayoz »

rippercushions wrote: post #299
rjcjvyd77 wrote: post #267

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> 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.

There definitely was theoretical risk with 2G-era mobile phones, which blasted considerable amounts of radiation. I was in university once doing a signal interference lab: we had set up an circuit and we're trying to induce current in it from another circuit. Suddenly the oscilloscope on the receiving end showed a couple of wild spikes, and I received a text message on my trusty Nokia 1611: apparently 900 MHz was in…

Yeah , my car's radio used to go nutty when my old Cingular flip phone would check in with the network or get a call.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#317

Post by josephcsible »

datadata wrote: post #146

Not that they need any sympathy, but it seems unjust towards apple to be targeting a specific product from a specific company, rather than say a blanket ban (no device that will transmit Bluetooth). I wonder if this will boost the market for airtag competitors.

Then they'd either have to ban Bluetooth headphones too, or admit that they're doing it because the trackers make them look bad and not actually for safety.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#318

Post by smabie »

spideymans wrote: post #314
crystaln wrote: post #301

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The term airplane mode will persist as an anachronism forever. Some day we will have to explain to our grandchildren why disabling networks has anything to do with airplanes.

My most frequent use of the air plane mode, is when I go underground on metro systems, which I find pretty ironic. (Without Airplane Mode, the phone will keep trying to connect to cellular towers, which just makes the network experience unstable) Perhaps "Underground Mode" would be more suitable in a modern context /s

Isn't an unstable network experience better than no network experience?

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#319

Post by jpmattia »

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…

> Rather, 300-500 cell phones all trying to contact the next cell tower, multiple times per minute, would wreak havoc on cell service.

I'm probably being a simpleton, but this sounds like inadequate firmware to me. At the very least: Airtags have GPS, so shut them off when they are at $ALTITUDE.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#320

Post by [deleted] »

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…

[deleted]
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