Lufthansa has reportedly banned the use of Apple AirTags to track passengers’ luggage. This sets an interesting precedent. AirTags is an easy way to track user items from Apple. Just stick them on items and track their location via Apple devices. While this may not have been the original intention, these things have become very popular for those who want to track their checked luggage while traveling.
While many airlines offer luggage tracking services, it can be beneficial to know exactly where your checked bags are. This is advantageous when luggage is delayed or lost because of how difficult it is to contact the airline. There have been no reports of other airlines banning the use of these things until now, German media reports that European aviation giant Lufthansa banned the use of AirTags in passengers’ checked luggage.
Airlines have realized that these tracking devices might allow passengers to recognize that their luggage has been lost, potentially sooner than the airline.According to reports, passengers passed throughappleAirTag’s simple tracking requires finding your own luggage or being unloaded yourself. Such a simple request can affect the airline’s on-time performance and have a knock-on effect on passengers who may have connecting flights.
While the International Air Transport Association (IATA) has established rules on what can and cannot be carried in checked luggage and published them in its Dangerous Goods Regulations booklet, AirTags have yet to emerge. IATA policy states that electronic devices in checked luggage must be completely switched off. It appears that Lufthansa used this suggestion as a reason to ban the use of AirTag.
Lost luggage is already piling up at Frankfurt Airport.Staffing shortages, last-minute airline cancellations and booming passenger numbers have created a tailspin at the beleaguered German airport.beautifulstorm. Photos taken inside the terminal showed lines of suitcases winding and unclaimed. Some passengers said luggage that had been sitting in the terminal for up to 10 days had started to stink.
Will other airlines follow suit next? Only time will tell.
