After indicating (and later confirming) that it had forbidden AirTags in luggage, German airline Lufthansa has changed its mind and will allow them and similar tracking gadgets. Gizmodo:
"The German Aviation Authorities (Luftfahrtbundesamt) confirmed today, that they share our risk assessment," wrote airline spokesperson Christina Semmel to Gizmodo in an email on Wednesday. "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."
The apparent crackdown on tags (which would also apply to similar devices from Tile and other manufacturers) follows a "chaotic" summer of lost luggage for air travelers, one of various manpower and technical problems for an industry struggling to get back up to speed after the Covid pandemic. A number of painful PR moments came courtesy of passengers who knew more about the location of their bags than the airlines—all thanks to tracking dongles.
