Lufthansa Says Apple AirTags Are Once Again Allowed in Checked Bags
The world’s largest low cost airline, Lufthansa, is trying a new tactic in an attempt to prevent potential terrorists from being able to attach explosives to its passengers.
Under pressure from the United States Department of Homeland Security, the German carrier has said that all checked-in baggage will now also include a tag that will identify the bag as carrying Apple devices including cellphones, tablets and iPods.
The move follows on a similar move by other international airlines and is an attempt by Lufthansa to prevent anyone from being able to use a bag as a bomb or to destroy the device.
According to German airline experts, the tag, as described by Lufthansa, would then also be used in the security process to check the bag, including the passenger, before the luggage is sent on its way.
“It is important for passengers that their baggage be checked only if they have entered through a security checkpoint. This is where the bag identification tag is used to verify the contents of the bag,” Lufthansa claimed in an online article on its website.
“The passenger has to carry identification showing that he or she is traveling with the baggage and the same has to be displayed when exiting the security checkpoint. Only then do passengers with similar-looking bags pass on and enter through the security checkpoint,” it explained.
If a bag does not have the “checked-in” tag, then neither do its contents.
The move is seen as an attempt to reduce the possibility of terrorist attacks with laptops, cellphones and iPods.
However, security experts are concerned about the security surrounding the plan which is still in its infancy.
“At the moment, we can only speculate on how much danger these devices could pose,” Michael J. Hagerty, president and publisher of Secure Trip, told CNBC.
“No one