It is the primal fear of some vacationers: the plane lands in Mallorca, New York or Auckland – the suitcase, on the other hand, ends up in Cape Town, Lima or Shanghai. Statistically speaking, this fate affects fewer than five out of 1,000 passengers (see ). Calculated on a yearly basis, however, this adds up to many millions of pieces of luggage that turn up late, damaged or not at all. One or two air travelers therefore use Apple’s AirTags to track their suitcases or bags and thus locate them in the event of loss – sometimes with success (see ).
AirTags in flight luggage – a legal gray area
However, airline passengers who want to calm their nerves with the help of AirTags in suitcases are apparently moving in a gray area. At least according to Lufthansa, Apple’s trackers are not allowed in checked baggage. Contrary to what one might assume, there are no technical reasons for this. In contrast to AirPods or iPhones, for example, AirTags do not contain lithium-ion batteries and therefore do not pose a fire risk. The radio technology does not cause any problems for the airlines either. Rather, there is a legal reason why the property search labels from Cupertino (and probably similar devices from other manufacturers) are not allowed to travel in the cargo hold of scheduled and holiday airlines.
Apple’s key finders are still new territory for airlines
The AirTags are obviously still new territory for the international aviation industry, although they have been available since April 2021. The compact devices are not yet included in the regulations, a Lufthansa spokeswoman said now business week (Paywall). The result: Legally, the trackers are smartphones. According to the German airline, like iPhones, they can only be carried in hand luggage. Alternatively, you can also remove the battery from your AirTag and then stow it in your suitcase. Then, of course, they are useless.
Travelers do not have to fear any consequences
However, those who take a flight with working AirTags in their suitcase usually do not have to fear any consequences. Complaints at the security checks have not yet come to light. Zurich Airport, for example, said as early as July of this year Basler Zeitung, Apple’s key finders are no problem. The signal power is low and the batteries are of an acceptable size. Most airports should see it similarly. The Swiss airline Swiss expressed a little more reluctance to the sheet. The future handling is still being examined and no decision has yet been made in connection with the AirTags.