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Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

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Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#341

Post by ajmurmann »

chrisseaton wrote: post #91
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.

> 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.

I visited Germany in July. At the time Frankfurt airport was a huge mess.

https://newsrnd.com/business/2022-07-08-travel-chaos--5-000-...

Edit: improved source and removed misleading numbers from previous article

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#342

Post by lmm »

smabie wrote: post #318
spideymans wrote: post #314

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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?

I find that my music/video streaming apps work a lot better with no network than with an unstable network.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#343

Post by rajko_rad »

I left my AirPods case in my seat, realized walking toward baggage area, wouldn’t let me go back to get them.. assured me someone would go get them for me… I filed a claim, they said they couldn’t find them there… now I see my AirPods case in an apartment complex in the Bronx… nothing I can do….

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#344

Post by tengwar2 »

HWR_14 wrote: post #302
kylehotchkiss wrote: post #151

Interestingly, they're not an issue in carry on bags. Which sit about 3 feet higher than a checked bag inside of an airplane.

They also sit at a much higher pressure. The concern is that the much lower air pressure can cause stress on lithium batteries in the cargo hold, leading to bulging and possible damage, maybe catastrophic. Especially for already damaged or poorly made batteries

The hold is pressurised. Unless it is a DC-10 with a cargo door popping open in mid-flight, in which case the pressure differential is enough to collapse the floor of the cabin and throw passengers bodily out of the plane.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#345

Post by Firmwarrior »

core-utility wrote: post #327
ajmurmann wrote: post #321

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This section makes it even more confusing to me, since I thought that the whole cell phone transmission restriction theater had been removed a few years ago. Was that only within the US and I've been violating EU regulations for years?

Is the cell phone transmission theater even lifted in the US? I still get asked to turn on airplane mode regularly (though Wi-Fi is okay)

Well, they used to come scream at you if you were reading a Kindle during takeoff, so that part has relaxed at least

So far as I know you're supposed to put your phone into airplane mode to turn the cellular radio off, but they don't seem to care if you use bluetooth any more

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#347

Post by smoldesu »

ajmurmann wrote: post #321
layer8 wrote: post #313

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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, table…

This section makes it even more confusing to me, since I thought that the whole cell phone transmission restriction theater had been removed a few years ago. Was that only within the US and I've been violating EU regulations for years?

The more predominant issue is keeping anything with a lithium-ion battery in checked luggage. They'll crack down on anything from laptops to hearing aids.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#348

Post by smileysteve »

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?

Line of sight and curvature of the earth.

At 20 miles out, a device on the ground starts losing line of sight, at 20 miles out, a device on an airplane starts receiving horizontal line of sight.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#349

Post by newguynewphone »

core-utility wrote: post #327
ajmurmann wrote: post #321

Earlier quoted context omitted.

This section makes it even more confusing to me, since I thought that the whole cell phone transmission restriction theater had been removed a few years ago. Was that only within the US and I've been violating EU regulations for years?

Is the cell phone transmission theater even lifted in the US? I still get asked to turn on airplane mode regularly (though Wi-Fi is okay)

i fly exclusively delta, and i always get asked to turn airplane mode on and any services that transmit audio are explicitly banned while on board (Discord, teams, etc.)

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#350

Post by smileysteve »

EvanAnderson wrote: post #296
Retric wrote: post #288

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Being 6 miles up and 8 miles horizontally is only 10 miles from a cellphone tower. As rural cells can easily be more than 20 miles this seems reasonable.

I would think the antennas on cell towers are polarized to limit radiated power up.

Curvature of the earth means that an airplane may be horizontal at 20+ miles out, while a surface vehicle is blocked by ground.
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