AirTags and flying

[SlipSlidinAwa]

It’s not just the batteries it’s the connectivity

https://www.iata.org/en/programs/cargo/dgr/lithium-batteries/ regulation is 0.3g or 2.7 Wh and CR2032 meets that. This does not apply for GPS tracker so not sure how it affect AirTags. Apple should be able to advise since it is key to the functionality of these devices !!!

 

[ukms]

https://www.iata.org/en/programs/cargo/dgr/lithium-batteries/ regulation is 0.3g or 2.7 Wh and CR2032 meets that. This does not apply for GPS tracker so not sure how it affect AirTags. Apple should be able to advise since it is key to the functionality of these devices !!!

With respect it’s nothing to do with cargo which are the regs you are quoting from ….. also individual airlines may have policy that differs from IATA.

what apple says may have no bearing on what a carrier says ….. much like some carriers allow phones switched on others don’t.

 

[SlipSlidinAwa]

With respect it’s nothing to do with cargo which are the regs you are quoting from ….. also individual airlines may have policy that differs from IATA.

With respect, at least you didn't say all due respect. I don't know the answer...I'm trying to find out. We know the CR2032 Lithium is accepted for some applications such as car keys however can it be put in the hold which is not clear. The battery itself can't be however if it is part of a device such as an AirTag it may still be acceptable. In most countries airlines must conform to IATA regualations.

 

[ukms]

With respect, at least you didn't say all due respect. I don't know the answer...I'm trying to find out. We know the CR2032 Lithium is accepted for some applications such as car keys however can it be put in the hold which is not clear. The battery itself can't be however if it is part of a device such as an AirTag it may still be acceptable. In most countries airlines must conform to IATA regualations.

I dont know either I’m just reading the current rules

you seem to be focused on the battery my point is (if you read my original post about Emirates) that it’s also the connectivity and not just the battery.

I’m fully aware that airlines conform with IATA ….. however some go beyond IATA guidance hence all airlines publish their own policy which differs.

did you read my link from IATA about trackers ?

 

[mnsportsgeek]

This is run off of a watch battery so I don’t think it will be subject to the same restrictions as smart bags. Unless airlines have started not allowing watches in checked luggage.

 

[jjayr41]

This is from Tile website...also says that it uses the same lithium battery that watches etc use...

Yes. All Tiles have non-rechargeable lithium batteries, similar to those used in wrist watches or key fobs. You can pack them in both check-in and carry-on luggage. They are not restricted by aviation or transportation authorities. For more information about what you can pack, visit the TSA website here

So I don't see why airtags wouldn't be treated the same...Airtags are almost if not identical to Tile correct? I don't have tile so I wouldn't know.

 

[ukms]

This is run off of a watch battery so I don’t think it will be subject to the same restrictions as smart bags. Unless airlines have started not allowing watches in checked luggage.

I don’t know the answer, but again you are focused on the battery and not the fact it’s a tracker.

 

[ukms]

This is from Tile website...also says that it uses the same lithium battery that watches etc use...

Yes. All Tiles have non-rechargeable lithium batteries, similar to those used in wrist watches or key fobs. You can pack them in both check-in and carry-on luggage. They are not restricted by aviation or transportation authorities. For more information about what you can pack, visit the TSA website here

So I don't see why airtags wouldn't be treated the same...

Seems at odds with the IATA advice about trackers posted above and the current baggage policy of some airlines ….. and TSA don’t govern global air travel (although sometimes they think they do )

I’m sure all will become clear in due course and common sense ‘might’ prevail

 

[DotCom2]

People are getting confused between two different issues when talking about alarms here.

There is the privacy alerts. These only happen if the airtag is away from its owner and is moving with someone else. In this case it doesn't start making a noise straight away, but will notify the person who it is following. They can make it make a noise to try to find it.

The most likely time that this could happen is the baggage driver, as has been mentioned, but I would be surprised if they are travelling with it for long enough for the alert (it hasn't been clarified yet, but I doubt it will be that quick). Even if it does then he will be well used to it after a while and will learn to ignore the notifications.

The other thing is that the tags will make a noise if they are away from the owner and are moved. I haven't been following the discussions regarding this very closely, but as discussed above I believe this is after 3 days.

I don't think this will be a major problem.

PEOPLE..PLEASE READ THIS!
He is is correct!
This is why I think the Airtags might, just *MIGHT* still be of some use if a car is stolen with a well hidden tag. It will take "some" time for the alert to appear on the thief's phone (and remember, the thief is driving away with your car) and 3 days for it to starting making a sound? It's all about what that time frame is for that alert to appear and don't forget, until the thief gets that alert, he is still pinging because he is part of the mesh network, unless he has opted out?
Thoughts?

 

[Truckondo]

This is run off of a watch battery so I don’t think it will be subject to the same restrictions as smart bags. Unless airlines have started not allowing watches in checked luggage.

I do believe that many people travel with car keys in their pockets as well. If airlines start putting up a fight over airtags it will be because they want to keep the tradition of losing luggage’s. ?

 

[matrix07]

Seems at odds with the IATA advice about trackers posted above and the current baggage policy of some airlines

That's about smart bags though, not small trackers like Tile or AirTag.

 

[ukms]

That's about smart bags though, not small trackers like Tile or AirTag.

Reality is I don’t know …… other than there is a separate section about trackers and it doesn’t make it clear what they define as a tracker. But where you have items potentially sounding alarms (however small ) or trying to ping phones …. I can see why airlines may not like them until they have been tested etc. Of course Apple may well have ironed out all these problems up front and we just don’t know yet until release day.

 

[iGeneo]

This is a discussion about nothing.. there is NO airline that will “ban” AirTags. I”ve traveled 100K miles annually for years, across several countries and until the last couple of years, had Tile trackers on my bags. Never a second look.

The ban on batteries is targeted at the “smart” luggage with the build in batteries to charge your device. Some bags had that in a non-removable form And they were banned. Who doesn’t travel with a battery pack for their phone?

non issue

 

[ukms]

This is a discussion about nothing.. there is NO airline that will “ban” AirTags. I”ve traveled 100K miles annually for years, across several countries and until the last couple of years, had Tile trackers on my bags. Never a second look.

The ban on batteries is targeted at the “smart” luggage with the build in batteries to charge your device. Some bags had that in a non-removable form And they were banned. Who doesn’t travel with a battery pack for their phone?

non issue

It’s not a discussion about nothing it’s a discussion about the current policies of some airlines, which are not always that clear.

I’m quite sure airtags will be fine but quirky things sometimes happen with air travel as you will know being such a seasoned traveller. A few years ago you’d probably have been telling everyone how ridiculous it was the prospect of not being able to take a bottle of water in the cabin and look how long that ban lasted !

 

[SayCheese]

I'm assuming that they'll be fine on airlines. I can't imagine that Apple and Hermes have partnered to produce a £400 luggage tag that you then can't use on a flight. Surely they've thought about that up front?

AirTag Hermès Luggage Tag – Fauve - Apple (UK)

Apple Store Search Results

store.apple.com

 

[iGeneo]

It’s not a discussion about nothing it’s a discussion about the current policies of some airlines, which are not always that clear.

I’m quite sure airtags will be fine but quirky things sometimes happen with air travel as you will know being such a seasoned traveller. A few years ago you’d probably have been telling everyone how ridiculous it was the prospect of not being able to take a bottle of water in the cabin and look how long that ban lasted !

Non issue.. NO airline will stop you from traveling with an AirTag. End of discussion

 

[ukms]

Non issue.. NO airline will stop you from traveling with an AirTag. End of discussion

You may well be right ……. Until god forbid an airtag gets discovered in an IED …… many like you said the same about good old fashioned water ?

 

[Deliro]

I fly frequently and did so with my Tiles. I never had an issue and I suspect the airtags will be no different.

 

[DoubleFlyaway]

I fly frequently and did so with my Tiles. I never had an issue and I suspect the airtags will be no different.

Exactly. Away (suitcase) and Tile even partnered on a luggage tag, which I've been using for a couple years. And I have Tiles on EVERYTHING, have flown with them a million times.

 

[Ricebucket]

i don't see how this can avoid the "airtag moving with you" alert. Suppose your tag is in the back of the plane and you're at the front. You're out of signal range from the tag (and might have the phone turned off). The tag is moving along with passengers in the back who are within range. Then wouldn't the security warning go off?

 

[KeithJenner]

i don't see how this can avoid the "airtag moving with you" alert. Suppose your tag is in the back of the plane and you're at the front. You're out of signal range from the tag (and might have the phone turned off). The tag is moving along with passengers in the back who are within range. Then wouldn't the security warning go off?

I don't think we can be sure of these things at the moment.

We don't know how close the tags have to be to someone for the alerts to happen, and also how well the signal will travel from the cargo hold to the passenger cabins.

I'm no expert, but I'd think that there is a good chance that on a normal flight the alerts may not trigger.

 

[michaelb5000]

i don't see how this can avoid the "airtag moving with you" alert. Suppose your tag is in the back of the plane and you're at the front. You're out of signal range from the tag (and might have the phone turned off). The tag is moving along with passengers in the back who are within range. Then wouldn't the security warning go off?

there are several media reports (they all be referencing each other, so not clear the actual source) that says the "strange tag moving along with you alert" only happens after you return home or to a known location. So if that proves to be true, all of this hand ringing about public transport and flying won't end up mattering.

example:

Apple AirTags 'Anti-Stalker' Feature Explained: How It Can Track Thieves

Apple's anti-stalker privacy feature works differently than some people believe, and means AirTags can track stolen items.

petapixel.com

That last bit stating “over time” is slightly confusing, as it has led some to assume your iOS device would notice an AirTag and alert you after 15 or 30 minutes. But PetaPixel confirms a report that this is not how this feature works: the privacy feature doesn’t activate a notification based on time, but instead uses location.


Your iOS device will recognize rather quickly if it senses a foreign AirTag that is traveling with you, but it won’t notify you right away. It will only notify you once you reach what is your “home.” This location of “home” is determined by your Address Book.

 

[Ricebucket]

there are several media reports (they all be referencing each other, so not clear the actual source) that says the "strange tag moving along with you alert" only happens after you return home or to a known location. So if that proves to be true, all of this hand ringing about public transport and flying won't end up mattering.

This sounds suspect. There's no way to identify a home or known location in the Find My app, at least as of this writing.

Not to mention, this alert is supposed to show up on iPhones who are not owners of the said airtag. Those users may not have airtags or the Find My app at all. How am I supposed to go define my home location if I have never thought of owning an airtag before?

 

[parseckadet]

There are some pieces of misinformation which are driving some aspects of this discussion.

First, Apple has said in separate interviews that the unknown AirTag alert doesn't trigger until you actually get home with one, or reach some other "significant location" based on your previous location data. I've interpreted this to mean other places that you frequent, such as work, a favorite restaurant, etc.

Second, the cargo hold and the passenger cabin are only separated by the floor, which is thin and radio transparent. Passenger aircraft are basically pressure vessels with wings. All the structural strength is attached along the inner wall. So yeah, if we're talking about an A380 you could be out of range just due to physical distance but not much else. But an average 737, I really doubt it.

As for the rest, refer to the conversation regarding Tile. AirTags are really no different, so I fail to see why they would be disallowed.

 

[parseckadet]

This sounds suspect. There's no way to identify a home or known location in the Find My app, at least as of this writing.

Not to mention, this alert is supposed to show up on iPhones who are not owners of the said airtag. Those users may not have airtags or the Find My app at all. How am I supposed to go define my home location if I have never thought of owning an airtag before?

Just because FindMy doesn't indicate where your home is that doesn't mean the app doesn't have access to that data and couldn't/doesn't use it for other purposes.