The Unexpected Reasons Airlines Hate When You Use AirTags On Your Luggage

Losing a piece of luggage can sour a dream vacation and leave you stranded without your clothes, toiletries, and other necessities. Thankfully, AirTags and other luggage trackers can prevent this disaster — or at least speed up the process of locating your bag once it does go MIA. All you have to do is pop one of these devices in your luggage, connect the tracker to your phone, and watch your suitcase on its journey from the baggage drop to the baggage claim.

It would seem like the only person who might be opposed to this technology is a thief looking to get away with your stuff. But surprisingly, some airlines seem to resent luggage trackers too. German airline Lufthansa went as far as trying to ban the accessories in 2022. The carrier tweeted on X (formerly known as Twitter), "According to ICAO guidelines, baggage trackers are subject to the dangerous goods regulations. Furthermore, due to their transmission function, the trackers must be deactivated during the flight if they are in checked baggage and cannot be used as a result." Later, the claims in the post were debunked, and Lufthansa confirmed it wouldn't be banning AirTags after all. While the snafu may have just been an innocent mistake, there might be an additional reason why airlines like Lufthansa would want to prohibit AirTags from their flights.

In 2022, the year Lufthansa attempted to ban AirTags and similar devices, airlines were struggling to manage the influx of travelers — and their luggage — following the peak of the COVID-19 pandemic. According to data from SITA, the global rate of baggage mishandling rose nearly 75% between 2021 and 2022. Though it's unclear whether these statistics inspired Lufthansa's temporary AirTag ban, it's easy to see why airlines may not want the coin-sized items on their flights.

Often, luggage trackers are highly effective at what they're designed to do. That means that if your bag goes missing and an airline employee can't locate it, you may be able to outsmart them just by tapping a couple of buttons on your phone. Then, if you discover that baggage handlers sent your suitcase off to the wrong destination, the onus is on the airline to retrieve it and deliver it to you — a responsibility it may not want to deal with. Plus, when an airline loses your checked luggage, you're eligible to receive compensation for the trouble, provided by the carrier.

This happened to TikTok creator @annabell_newman, who used an AirTag to find a lost suitcase, which was promptly placed on the next flight to her destination. The account @getlostwebsite posted a similar travel story, though the flier was only offered $559 in exchange for her lost luggage. While airlines may not admit it publicly, tracking devices empower travelers while causing bigger headaches for customer service staff. Of course, this is only more reason to always travel with an AirTag — or, to avoid lost luggage altogether, travel with just one carry-on instead.