Lufthansa Says Apple AirTags Are Once Again Allowed in Checked Bags, Including iPhone X
A new policy will permit the use of an Apple-designed AirTags as a means of identifying passengers in checked luggage, as long as Apple provides software to the airport authorities for use in scanning the devices.
The policy — first reported by the German newspaper Süddeutsche Zeitung — is the latest example of how the company has been increasingly willing to comply with governments’ requests, following a pattern of doing the same in other countries.
In a statement, Lufthansa said that the company’s policy, introduced in September in Germany, would apply to all air travel with the company in 2018.
“In accordance with long-term planning, the Lufthansa Group will also include further changes and additional requirements in the 2017-2019 period regarding the use of the Apple AirTags for check-in and check-out,” the statement said.
It is one of the more significant airport compliance measures to date from Apple’s efforts in Europe and Asia.
For example, in Germany, the use of Apple’s Passbook app — which allows travelers to share boarding passes with fellow travelers on social media — was blocked in May after Germany’s interior minister called it “unacceptable” and “irresponsible.”
Apple’s policies are not the only instances of a technology giant putting a check in the way of customs officers. Apple was at the center of a controversy late last year when it came under fire for allowing an American who had been arrested on arrival at an airport in China to walk away from the country without a police escort.
On the company’s radar:
Apple’s approach to tracking when its products are used in other countries has become more involved, with its team of around 15 members reviewing all of the legal and regulatory requirements as it works to ensure that its products meet the standards of its customers across the globe.
While Apple’s global compliance team has not expanded, it has, in the past, been involved in the compliance of other tech companies such as Twitter and Adobe, both of which
