In a tweet posted to their official Twitter account, German airline Lufthansa confirms they will not ban AirTags on flights after a whole debacle unfolded over the weekend about the tracking device.
Citing guidance from the German Aviation Authorities, Lufthansa will not move forward with banning AirTags and other Bluetooth trackers from checked luggage after confirming that the devices “do not pose a safety risk.”
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 (@lufthansaNews) October 12, 2022
The German Airline carrier made headlines over the weekend over a debacle over the use of AirTag and other Bluetooth tracking devices in checked luggage. The carrier said that these types of goods fall into guidelines from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) that state “objects with a transmission function must be deactivated during a flight.”
Apple released a statement to The New York Times confirming that AirTags are “compliant with international airline travel safety regulations for carry-on and checked baggage.” The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) confirms that AirTags complies with federal aviation regulations.
The use of AirTag has been a primary concern for many customers as item trackers could also be abused by stalkers, which puts victims in dangerous situations. Apple has always taken user privacy very seriously as earlier this year, the company issued a statement that addresses those issues and plans to work with law enforcement to fight against such misuse.