Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage • Hacker News Board

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#441

Post by squeaky-clean » Sat, Oct 08, 2022, 3:32 AM UTC

Firmwarrior wrote: post #345

core-utility wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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

The reason for that one I've heard from pilot friends is just that they want you upright and alert during takeoff and landing. I've been told to stop reading a book during a landing once. But imagine most of the flight crew don't want to deal with the potential fights from telling someone to put away a non-cellular device.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#442

Post by squeaky-clean » Sat, Oct 08, 2022, 3:37 AM UTC

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?

It drains the battery really quickly in my experience. On my (admittedly old) iphone a 30 minute subway journey without airplane mode will drain about 10%.

Also even if i'm listening to music I have downloaded locally, Apple Music will do a system-wide popup complaining that it lost cellular connection. Sometimes in Safari a webpage that was downloaded at the station will suddenly erase itself and attempt to refresh itself upon losing connection. Those are usually the kinds of ad-ridden sites that are making nonstop ajax calls, but sometimes that's what i'm reading.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#443

Post by atoav » Sat, Oct 08, 2022, 3:46 AM UTC

layer8 wrote: post #433

Zak wrote: post #431

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Both lithium-ion and lithium metal batteries that are installed in devices are allowed in checked baggage in the US and most other places. The devices must be powered off. What that means is a bit ambiguous as most modern laptops, tablets, and phones have some components powered any time a battery is installed. https://www.faa.gov/newsroom/lithium-batteries-baggage

The regulation specifically states that " the devices must be completely switched off (not in sleep or hibernation mode) ", and mobile devices normally all have a way to completely shut them down, with no components remaining active. The only exception I'm aware of are wireless earbuds (e.g. AirPods). Presumably you're not allowed to have those in checked baggage.

So electrical engineers could just use a MCU let it power itself of during flight, use passive components (discharging capacitors) to trigger a wakeup after a set time and you are good to go?

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#444

Post by squeaky-clean » Sat, Oct 08, 2022, 3:46 AM UTC

Zigurd wrote: post #264

enumjorge wrote: post #177

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.

I used to live a few blocks from the AA Arena in Miami. I could always tell when a Heat game had just finished because my cell reception would drop to 1 bar or lose connection altogether. Then a few seconds later you'd hear the crowd of people reaching the parking lot right by my building.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#445

Post by LeoPanthera » Sat, Oct 08, 2022, 3:47 AM UTC

Fogest wrote: post #424

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…

AirTags. Apple Watch. iMessage. All things you lose if you give up your iPhone.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#446

Post by squeaky-clean » Sat, Oct 08, 2022, 3:48 AM UTC

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

This was a really fun sound when my guitar amp would pick it up

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#447

Post by laundermaf » Sat, Oct 08, 2022, 3:49 AM UTC

kortex wrote: post #416

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.

It'll be in good company with dialing, film, photograph, watching the tube, etc. Actually photo graph was already out of date, because graph had morphed from "to write" to making any kind of image. Which itself I believe meant something akin to inscription /engraving. Actually while photograph may no longer be a graph as in image on a surface, in some ways it's still an image impressed on rocks. Made using lithograph…

-graph effectively means recording, storing, so photograph is still very much valid and will forever be.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#448

Post by ktta » Sat, Oct 08, 2022, 3:58 AM UTC

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.

They didn't mention it was AirFrance in their origninal comment, and when they said "in France", I assumed an intra-France flight. Many regional & LCC carriers in Europe operate Airbus planes exclusively.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#449

Post by vineyardmike » Sat, Oct 08, 2022, 4:04 AM UTC

newguynewphone wrote: post #349

core-utility wrote: post #327

Earlier quoted context omitted.

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.)

> services that transmit audio are explicitly banned

Because taking a call is annoying AF to the 50-100 other people in the shared giant tube.

I’ve been seated next to people who insist im not on a call, this is FaceTime and I’ve always wanted to yell at them for their disrespect.

Re: Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage

#450

Post by ncmncm » Sat, Oct 08, 2022, 4:05 AM UTC

smileysteve wrote: post #348

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?

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.

This. Aloft, your phone sees many, many towers.