Lufthansa Says Apple AirTags Are Once Again Allowed in Checked Bags
German air carrier Lufthansa said late Thursday at the Mobile World Congress in Barcelona the use of Apple’s popular AirTag on a passenger’s iPhone or iPad during the boarding of the aircraft was all but legal.
The announcement came after a series of reports that had linked Apple’s technology with the detection of explosives on mobile devices in checked baggage at the New Delhi airport in India.
A Lufthansa spokesman told The Associated Press late Thursday that airline employees and other passengers had been tested in a laboratory to ensure that the devices were not interfering with the air cabin.
Apple in recent weeks has said it was suspending the technology on certain of its devices when in checked baggage because it’s impossible to ensure that a passenger does not place explosives inside the device. But Apple has refused to say why the AirTag doesn’t work on iPads.
The company in October began testing the technology in the cabin of its aircraft when the passenger uses the device’s headphone jacks to enter an electronic listening station.
Some airlines, including German Lufthansa, have since said that the use of the AirTag for the purpose of detecting explosives in checked baggage is now banned.
New Delhi airport bans iPhones for checked baggage
Bomb Detection Technology:
Aircrafts with onboard air bag can also work with this technology. And this technology was tested with the Boeing 747-400
Airlines
German Airlines
Air New Zealand
KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
Saudia
The FAA
The company said it would begin testing the technology in the cabin of its aircraft in November
The technology was used in July when it was used to track down a bomb
United Airlines stopped using the technology in February at the request of the TSA
The U.S. Transportation Security Administration has asked U.S. airlines to stop using the technology
“Air New Zealand’s decision today to suspend use of its on board air bag in flight for all flights does not
