Last year, radio tags became popular with travelers. They were advertised as an easy and relaxed way to keep track of your checked baggage if the airline made a mistake and the suitcase was not on the belt.
A small device the size of a coin can be placed in luggage and will automatically transmit its location to Apple devices. This has already helped many passengers pinpoint exactly where their belongings are if they go missing.
And now one of the largest airlines in the world has announced that it will no longer allow Apple AirTags on its aircraft. The explanation is simple: “Baggage tracking devices are categorized as portable electronic devices and are therefore subject to the Dangerous Goods Regulations issued by ICAO (International Civil Aviation Organization) for carriage in aircraft. Accordingly, due to their active signals, trackers must be deactivated during flight, similar to mobile phones, laptops, tablets, etc.”
Expert opinion is divided. It is quite possible that Lufthansa is not against RFID tags themselves, especially since their presence in luggage has become very common in recent months.
The ban may apply to lithium batteries that power devices. According to ICAO regulations, devices with lithium batteries cannot be checked in if they cannot be disabled.
Of course, in our case, the CR2032 battery is the size of a small coin and is traditionally used in watches and car key fobs. It contains about 0.1 grams of lithium metal – a negligible amount. But rules are rules.
Anxiety is associated with the risk of fire. It is much easier to put out a fire in the cabin using onboard fire extinguishers. Putting out an in-flight fire in the cargo hold is not easy.
The question is, how will Lufthansa check for an Apple AirTag in a closed suitcase? Customers can be asked about this at the baggage check-in desk, but what if the passenger says no? After all, security services do not check anything other than weight at the time of registration.
After a summer of travel disruptions, including at Frankfurt Airport (FRA), AirTag has become an invaluable tool for locating lost and mishandled baggage. Now, Lufthansa passengers, as well as Lufthansa Group carriers Austrian, Swiss, and Brussels, may have to stop using RFID tags.
There is so little lithium in devices that the risk of fire is practically zero. In any case, there are no known facts about when the devices caught fire in the cargo hold of the aircraft.