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Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

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Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#401

Post by cookie_monsta »

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.

Well, maybe. My kids seem to have taken it for granted that clicking on that weird square thing that we know as a floppy disk icon saves their work, somewhere. I don't think they ever asked why that symbol.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#403

Post by usr1106 »

r00fus wrote: post #337
ktta wrote: post #278

Earlier quoted context omitted.

The France clue actually contradicts my guess, because I'm guessing that was an Airbus? Anyways, he's one theory: Boeing has an issue where its radio altimeters are affected by C-band 5G transmissions. I believe maybe the pilots were relying more on the precision of the altimeter because their vision was impaired due to the bad weather? The whole 'turn off phones' instruction could be because people would follow the…

Last flight I had from SFO->CDG was on a Boeing 737-800. AirFrance doesn't mean it's always Airbus.

If SFO is supposed to mean San Francisco and CDG Paris then certainly not. The max range of a 737-800 is about 50% of the distance.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#404

Post by cactus2093 »

yazaddaruvala wrote: post #196
myself248 wrote: post #52

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Bingo! It hadn't occurred to me until just now, but you bet your butt there'll be an Airtag, a Trackr, and a Tile in my luggage next time.

It’s honestly so nice! I land, and before I check my texts I check for my bags. They have almost always already been reported to the find my network and I have peace of mind. Even at the baggage carousels. I just activate “Find” and it tells me if my bag is “near by” and rarely it’ll even give me the arrow pointing at my luggage. I didn’t even realize that I was previously micro-stressing about this stuff. But I can…

It's seriously such an underrated technology. The fact that there are billions of devices spread out all over the world that can suddenly spring into action to precisely locate my item any time is so crazy to think about. All for a $29 one-time purchase. And I get the sense most people don't even know this exists.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#405

Post by autoexec »

cbhl wrote: post #394

Operationally, I can see one reason why airlines would want to ban AirTags in luggage. AirTags default to beeping when they're away from the owner's iPhone. Found this out the hard way when leaving car keys with a valet parking once; came back to the keys in a drawer and beeping loudly; valet reported they had been like that all day. Presumably it's also a pain for baggage handlers and security folks who handle the b…

On the plus side it's probably a lot less likely that they'll forget about your bag if it's incessantly beeping at them

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#406

Post by dehrmann »

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…

Users benefit, too. You phone uses a lot more power when trying to connect to all those towers.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#407

Post by Arrath »

stuart78 wrote: post #333
smabie wrote: post #318

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

Not for apps like Audible which (this is my guess based on personal experience) prevents you from doing anything if you seem to have connectivity but can’t get a real response. Offline mode is simply more stable, unless you need to sync status from another device.

Audible is terrible for this. The parking lot at work is situated juuuust right to the point that when I'm leaving the office, my phone thinks its connected but has no actual connectivity. Audible sits there trying to sync the storefront and whatever else instead of just playing my damn book when I turn on my car to leave for the day.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#408

Post by Arrath »

sgerenser wrote: post #391
ceejayoz wrote: post #316

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

Yep, it was a common sound on PC speakers in the early 2000s: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=FYjs7vsaSEw

Ahhh, memories.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#409

Post by yourapostasy »

kylehotchkiss wrote: post #167

Why don't airlines offer a baggage insurance system? Have a separate check in area for the bag, where the value has to be declared with a staffer verifying said things were in the bag, the bag is sufficiently durable, and charge a large amount for the service. Then maybe ID verification on pickup. $300 a bag would keep this an option just for people moving their cameras and stuff. Or let Fedex open a check in counter…

A long time ago in the US, one could purchase additional baggage insurance at the check-in counter. Insuring for $10,000 USD guaranteed face-to-face hand-off-on-signature delivery at every step of the way. There are crappy third-party insurance underwriters for luggage these days, and the airlines stopped offering their own insurance policies because theft is so rampant in their baggage handling processes.

In the US, there is a myth that packing a gun and going through the procedure to declare it would sprinkle magic never lost dust upon the luggage. It was once true a long time ago, but these days it only marginally improves the odds, if at all.

An AirTag, Tile, and an old phone with a basic plan, new battery, and on your find device app, is about as good as it gets nowadays.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#410

Post by google234123 »

chrisseaton wrote: post #384
thecosmicfrog wrote: post #372

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I'm not sure what airlines you're flying with, but I've never gotten any notifications like this - in the US or Europe.

United does it, for example. You need the app. I'm sure other airlines do it as well?

AA does.
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