A couple of weeks in the past, Lufthansa made headlines for issuing an announcement about banning Apple AirTags. The airline ended up backtracking. Effectively, there’s now one other airline that seemingly desires to go down this rabbit gap.
Air New Zealand’s web site indicated that battery-powered baggage trackers are solely allowed in checked baggage if they are often turned off. An Air New Zealand spokesperson has confirmed that this ban applies to Apple AirTags, although says that this can be reconsidered in 2023, as a part of a security evaluation:
“As merchandise such because the AirTag and Tile are transportable digital units that can not be turned off, harmful items rules at present prohibit them from being carried in checked-in baggage. As a part of Air New Zealand’s security administration system, a evaluation of those merchandise is prone to happen in early 2023. Following this, discussions with the regulatory authority could also be undertaken.”
Oddly New Zealand’s Aviation Safety Service, which is chargeable for screening baggage, has acknowledged that it’s underneath no instruction to take away these trackers from baggage. Moreover, Jetstar, one other airline working in New Zealand, says passengers are welcome to make use of AirTags and different related units.
So far as enforcement of this coverage goes, it doesn’t appear to be Air New Zealand actually has a plan for that. An airline spokesperson has acknowledged that vacationers are requested in the event that they’re carrying prohibited items when checking in, and if passengers say they’re, they’ll be requested to take away them from their baggage earlier than continuing with the check-in course of. In different phrases, this depends on passengers having the identical coverage interpretation Air New Zealand does, and volunteering that they’ve AirTags.
For these not acquainted, Apple AirTags have grow to be extremely fashionable for journey these days. You’ll be able to place them in your bag, after which it would monitor it all through the journey. Given how unreliable airways have been up to now couple of years, it is a means for vacationers to take some issues into their very own palms.
That is one thing regulators ought to tackle
It certain looks as if points might be averted going ahead if the Worldwide Civil Aviation Group (ICAO) issued clear steering concerning Apple AirTags, and related units. The group’s directions for the protected transport of harmful items point out that lithium batteries contained inside units are allowed in checked baggage, however the gadget should be switched off.
Clearly switching off an AirTag would fully remove the purpose of getting it, which is to trace your bag. Air New Zealand isn’t technically unsuitable, the corporate is simply following ICAO’s steering in a literal method.
Do AirTags current any form of materials threat of fireside in an plane cargo maintain? I’m not an knowledgeable on that, although I’d suppose that international regulators would have come out and explicitly addressed this if that had been the case.
As an alternative it appears we’re at present in a state of affairs the place most airways and nationwide regulators are persevering with to permit this, as a result of it doesn’t appear to be AirTags pose a threat. Nonetheless, it appears to me like one thing ought to be determined a method or one other right here, slightly than every airline decoding rules as they see match. It may’t be protected to verify an AirTag on a Jetstar flight, however not on an Air New Zealand flight.
Backside line
Air New Zealand has grow to be the most recent airline to ban AirTags, although is seemingly not implementing this restriction. The airline is decoding the overall restriction on lithium batteries in checked baggage to additionally apply to AirTags. The airline isn’t technically unsuitable primarily based on current steering, however this isn’t how the business is overwhelmingly decoding the present guidelines.
Hopefully ICAO and different regulators problem clear-cut steering on AirTags sooner slightly than later, so this doesn’t maintain occurring. Then once more, with out enforcement, this restriction is barely theoretical.
What do you make of Air New Zealand’s ban on Apple AirTags?
