We reported over the weekend that German airline Lufthansa seemingly confirmed via tweets the ban of AirTags in checked luggage, citing airline safety policies. Lufthansa is backtracking and saying that the company isn’t banning Apple’s AirTag.

A Lufthansa spokesperson confirmed to Airways Magazine that “there is no guideline or regulation by Lufthansa to ban AirTags. There is a standing ICAO regulation on such devices, but this has nothing to do with Lufthansa or any other carrier.”

The Lufthansa and AirTag fiasco started on Twitter over the weekend when a Lufthansa employee tweeted that AirTag devices will be banned as they’re “classified as dangerous.”

The reasoning behind the ban comes from official guidelines from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that state “objects with a transmission function must be deactivated during a flight.” This guideline pertains to devices such as phones and laptops that are equipped with Lithium-ion batteries, not a CR2032 battery like AirTag. CR2032 batteries are commonly found in wristwatches and keyfobs.

A big reason airlines would possibly consider banning tracking devices like AirTags would be customers tracking lost luggage without contacting the airline. Earlier this year, a British man flying back from South Africa tweeted Aer Lingus a PowerPoint presentation to get his luggage back. After involving the police and using his AirTag, the luggage was recovered despite the airline claiming they weren’t able to locate the lost bags.

https://twitter.com/aviosAdventurer/status/1517419980953989120?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw%7Ctwcamp%5Etweetembed%7Ctwterm%5E1517419980953989120%7Ctwgr%5Ea7374757e2ae8ceff0680357b14673f598a7d828%7Ctwcon%5Es1_&ref_url=https%3A%2F%2F9to5mac.com%2F2022%2F04%2F25%2Fman-uses-airtags-and-powerpoint-presentation-to-ask-airline-for-his-lost-bags%2F

Do you think airlines have the right to ban AirTags? Have you tracked lost luggage with your AirTags? Let us know down in the comments or on Twitter @Appleosophy.