There has been chaos at airports for several months now: the number of flights has skyrocketed due to staff shortages and the wave of travel following the coronavirus pandemic. As a result, many flights are delayed or canceled completely.
There are also problems with luggage due to shortages of ground staff. At some airports, suitcases are piling up and sometimes luggage does not even make it onto the right plane and is left at the departure airport.
Why track suitcases with AirTag?
Sometimes it can be handy to know exactly where your luggage is at any given time. Although this does not speed up the baggage reclaim process, it can save a lot of time:
If you see on arrival in Frankfurt that your suitcase is still in Mallorca, you don’t have to wait for hours at the baggage carousel but can fill out the relevant form and go straight home. The suitcase will then usually be delivered to your home address by the airline free of charge the next day or the day after.
Airplane: AirTag allowed in suitcase?
A basic distinction is made between hand baggage (in the cabin) and checked baggage (in the hold) when it comes to prohibited items. Which devices may be transported depends largely on the respective battery and the airline, which in turn is based on legal requirements.
The German magazine Stern writes about this in an article:
“The use of inexpensive airtags for this purpose is completely harmless, so it only has advantages. As Apple does not install a rechargeable battery in an Airtag, the tracker can be carried in checked baggage and does not have to be switched off before the flight – the transmission power of the Bluetooth technology is too low to interfere with the aircraft.”
Stern Online
The Swiss newspaper BaZ writes in a similar article:
“Zurich Airport is relaxed when asked. Airtags are not a problem. “The signal power is very low and the batteries are an acceptable size. Spare batteries, on the other hand, may not be carried in checked baggage, but belong in hand luggage.” However, passengers are warned against suitcases with built-in trackers and larger batteries. These are not permitted. “
BaZ Online
According to these articles, carrying an Apple AirTag in your suitcase seems to be harmless. If you want to be on the safe side, it is best to ask the airline in advance.
Update from October 2022
After some fuss about the use of Apple AirTags in checked baggage, Lufthansa has now officially confirmed in a tweet on Twitter that the use has been classified as harmless by the German Federal Aviation Authority and is therefore permitted.
The German Aviation Authorities (Luftfahrtbundesamt) confirmed today, that they share our risk assessment, that tracking devices with very low battery and transmission power in checked luggage do not pose a safety risk. With that these devices are allowed on Lufthansa flights.
Lufthansa News on Twitter
How does Apple’s AirTag work?
Is it even possible to track the suitcase accurately? The answer is yes and no. The AirTag works via Bluetooth, this technology has a short range of approx. 100 meters.
The special thing about AirTag: as soon as a third-party Apple device such as an iPhone, iPad or iMac is within range, it sends its location anonymously to this device. The current location is therefore forwarded as soon as any Apple user is in the vicinity.
This is very likely at airports, as not only passengers but also employees often have iPhones in their pockets. The foreign iPhones are not aware of this process.
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