Lufthansa, the German flag carrier, has banned Apple AirTags from being in luggage. They say that they are dangerous to fly with. But the rule that the airline points to doesn’t say that, according to news reports. According to AppleInsider, the airline’s Twitter account was asked to confirm that a ban is in place after initial reports in German media.
Lufthansa said in a tweet, “Activated AirTags in luggage are considered dangerous and must be turned off.” When asked more about how they should be classified, the airline said, “According to guidelines from the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO), baggage trackers must follow rules for dangerous goods.”
But the audit says the airline is mistaken regarding the ICAO regulations.
In particular, the rule Lufthansa points to talks about lithium-ion batteries, which are used in bigger devices like a MacBook Pro.
First, an AirTag’s battery is too small to be a problem, according to the rules.
Second, AirTag uses CR2032 cells, which are not lithium-ion batteries and are therefore not covered by the regulation.
If CR2032 batteries were dangerous, watches that use them would not be allowed on planes, but they are.
