Lufthansa Bans Apple AirTags for Luggage Tracking, Citing ‘Danger to Flight’

The German flag carrier Lufthansa has prohibited the use of Apple’s AirTags for luggage tracking, citing them as a safety risk. According to media reports, the regulation airline cites does no such thing.

The airline’s Twitter account was requested to confirm the ban following initial reports in German media.

The airline said in response “Lufthansa is banning activated AirTags from luggage as they are classified as dangerous and need to be turned off.”

Hi David, Lufthansa is banning activated AirTags from luggage as they are classified as dangerous and need to be turned off./Mony

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— Lufthansa (@lufthansa) October 8, 2022

When questioned more about the classification, Lufthansa said, “According to ICAO guidelines, baggage trackers are subject to the dangerous goods regulations. Furthermore, due to their transmission function, the trackers must be deactivated during the flight if they are in checked baggage and cannot be used as a result.”

According to ICAO guidelines, baggage trackers are subject to the dangerous goods regulations. Furthermore, due to their transmission function, the trackers must be deactivated during the flight if they are in checked baggage and cannot be used as a result. /Ana

— Lufthansa (@lufthansa) October 9, 2022

However, the report stated that the airline’s assertion regarding ICAO regulations is completely false. The regulation that Lufthansa is referring to in particular discusses restrictions on lithium-ion batteries, which are commonly found in bigger gadgets like the MacBook Pro.

The batteries used by the Apple AirTags and other tracking devices are too small to be taken into account under the regulations.

Second, the AirTags use CR2032 cells, which don’t qualify as lithium-ion batteries and are therefore exempt from the rule.

The report stated that the CR2032 cells were actually used in wristwatches as well. Using the same CR2032 on flights would be prohibited, but it is not.