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Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

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Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#421

Post by odysseus »

NegativeLatency wrote: post #383
odysseus wrote: post #248

There are two kinds of bags: carry-on and lost. I first read the above quote on a site dedicated to techniques on packing only one bag per person on a trip of any length - and it’s been a mantra ever since. So much easier to skip baggage claim and walk out of the airport. I still put an AirTag in the carry-on - helps in case it gets stolen at the hotel/etc.

I’d be interested in that guide if you could find it.

https://www.onebag.com/checklist.html

There used to be a horizontally formatted PDF one page printable version of the guide but I can’t find it at the moment.

There's also a how-to-pack portion of the guide as well re: bundle wrapping.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#422

Post by renewiltord »

bilekas wrote: post #16

> This is specifically because of the transmission function. 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. While this is negligible and I can see a lot of people saying "Well who cares it's just one" if you imagine a lot of interference from a lot of baggage with them on a flight.. I haven't tested, but…

I don't put my stuff in airplane mode, and I travel with a cell phone, an iPad w/ cellular, and my laptop. And my friends do the same. Sometimes we'll fly together.

So I know that doesn't do anything. I bet if I put one of these in airplane mode, I've won enough RF budget for everyone to have Airtags on

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#423

Post by sn_master »

KirillPanov wrote: post #353
rajko_rad wrote: post #343

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….

You could show up at the apartment.

You don't wanna show up unannounced at random people's houses in the US, certainly not in the Bronx.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#424

Post by Fogest »

schappim wrote: post #258

Just wait until AirTags have accelerometers in them too (capturing all the abuse to bags)! Seriously though, I'll be surprised if Apple puts any serious resources into future versions of the AirTag, given the amount of bad PR[0] they've generated for Apple, and how allergic Apple is to bad PR. From the perspective of Apple, the cost to benefit ratio doesn't seem to be there, especially for a product that is a roundin…

I actually think part of the benefit of AirTags for Apple is to help build vendor lock-in. Say you own 5-10 airtags over time. If you switch to a phone like Samsung you essentially are giving all those tags up, or you have to keep that old iPhone accessible for when you lose things if you want to keep using them. Of course, that alone may not be a big deal, but if you also own other Apple products that lock-in effect gets even greater. Almost everyone I knows is aware of Airtags, and most own them. I even know multiple people who have used them successfully to recover/find lost items. This kind of value while it may look small on a budget sheet, is huge in the lock-in and consumer loyalty for Apple.

I bet my coworker who recovered their stolen bike via an Airtag is now much less likely to consider leaving Apple for example.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#425

Post by propogandist »

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…

Lufthansa gave a non-answer, and there's nothing in their comment suggesting they've banned airtags in checked luggage. They will also have an impossible time enforcing it.

The site "covering this" is focused on creating travel content to push credit card affiliate links. They (like most) benefit from clickbait articles that will get picked up around the web, giving them backlinks to improve SEO ranking for a competitive niche.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#427

Post by margalabargala »

rootusrootus wrote: post #281
capableweb wrote: post #257

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That sounds... Improbable. When you were passing over Iceland you must have been far too far above the antennas to receive any sort of signal, unless it landed there on the way across the ocean?

Can't speak for Iceland specifically, but can confirm that if you fly from Seattle or Portland down to SFO, you follow a corridor of fairly strong mobile coverage most all the way, and it's occasionally usable at cruising altitude for a moment here and there. Definitely enough to get text messages.

This is in fact the real reason that we still have the airplane mode restriction.

A phone at cruising altitude can see and try to connect to a huge number of cell towers at once. Like, orders of magnitude more towers than it would be able to see even from the top of a mountain. Plus, you're constantly disconnecting from some towers and connecting to new ones. This puts a strain on the cell network systems.

One person won't have a negative impact but then you multiply the problem by the number of people who fly daily.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#428

Post by layer8 »

RC_ITR wrote: post #413
layer8 wrote: post #351

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I don’t think this is about transmission. Rather, it is probably to reduce the risk of thermal runaway of lithium batteries, which can cause fire and explosion. The regulation also states that such devices “ should be carried as carry-on baggage ”, that is, in preference to checked baggage, presumably so that the devices are less prone to damage, and cases of malfunction and fire will be more quickly detected.

Sure. But to that end, are button batteries known to be susceptible to thermal runway?

See for example here: https://safetyfirst.airbus.com/lithium-batteries-safe-to-fly...

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#430

Post by pantojax45 »

usr1106 wrote: post #403
r00fus wrote: post #337

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

It’s a 777
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