These are small objects increasingly used by travelers who want to keep an eye on their suitcase: Apple’s AirTag, a small beacon that allows you to track, on your phone, the location of the object on which it is attached. While many similar GPS trackers have been on the market for years, Apple’s model has democratized its use even more.
Thus, for the past few months, testimonials from passengers who have used this type of equipment have multiplied. Thanks to these devices, passengers have succeeded in finding their lost luggage on their own, or have even been able to report to the crew of their flight that baggage supposed to be in the hold had been forgotten on the tarmac. In September, two French women discovered, while following their lost luggage thanks to these beacons, stolen luggage trafficking. The New York Times also told, at the end of August, the story of an airport employee arrested for stealing luggage thanks to the presence of an AirTag in a suitcase.
“Classified as dangerous objects”
But do these electrical devices hidden in suitcases pose security problems? Some companies are beginning to address the issue. On Saturday, responding to a Twitter user who challenged it on a rumor that AirTags would be banned in checked baggage on Lufthansa flights, the company confirmed: “Hello, Lufthansa prohibits activated AirTags in baggage, as they are classified as dangerous items, and must be turned off“.
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This announcement caused a strong reaction on Twitter: “Is it dangerous, or is Lufthansa trying to extricate itself from the embarrassment in which it is with the lost luggage?reacts @radiantnavin on Twitter.Maybe Lufthansa doesn’t like passengers watching its lost luggage“, notes another user.
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But contacted later by a magazine specializing in civil aviation, Airways Magazine, the company backpedaled, saying that “AirTags are not prohibited and there are no guidelines or rules to that effect“, but on the other hand”there is an ICAO regulation on this type of device, but that has nothing to do with Lufthansa or any other company whatsoever“.
A device without a battery
In other words, the company discards on the directives of the ICAO, that is to say the International Civil Aviation Organization, which depends on the UN. This prohibits devices equipped with a battery, such as laptops or tablets, from being switched on in checked baggage.
Or, as the Frandroid site notes, AirTags do not use a lithium-ion battery, like most other electronic products, but a round, non-rechargeable battery, which is the same type of battery found in watches. And the same goes for most object trackers (like the Tile, the Galaxy SmartTag or the Chipolo). Which would therefore not be sufficient for a ban in the current terms of the ICAO.
It is therefore the Bluetooth transmission function that could pose a problem, but according to several observers, it is not powerful enough to create interference. Thus many companies and institutions have decided in favor of these devices: since 2013 for example, the FAA, the American equivalent of the General Directorate of Civil Aviation (DGAC), has authorized the use of devices that emit weak bluetooth wavessuch as wireless headsets.
questioned by the iGeneration websitethe Air France company also declared that it does not prohibit AirTags in the holds of its planes.