Do airlines check the content of checked luggage?

Question

I read Lufthansa "bans AirTags in luggage" after passengers publicly shame it with location of lost bags. Do airlines check the content of checked luggage? I thought only the TSA and their non-US counterparts screened luggage, not the airlines.

I don't see where that article states that the airline can or does check your luggage. When you check-in you are asked whether your luggage contains any of a range of dangerous or banned items. This would be when they check. I would assume that they have added Air Tags to this list of items. — Midavalo, Oct 10, 2022 at 21:24

user4188user4188 · Accepted Answer · 2022-10-10 21:23:59Z

4

That's fake news. It originated with a reply tweet, quickly deleted. It was a mistake. If boingboing bothered to ask Lufthansa they would have gotten this reply: https://twitter.com/ethanklapper/status/1578453321546801158

A Lufthansa spokesperson tells me there is no change to the carrier's policy on AirTags.

Instead, they printed this garbage.

Airlines do not check luggage. That's the job of the same security force who mans the security checkpoints. For example, read Toronto Pearson, the TSA about this.

answered Oct 10, 2022 at 21:23

user4188

5

The “no change in policy” does not actually say they allow them. They can easily point you to their policies stating, based on ICAO rules, that devices containing Lithium-based batteries in checked luggage must be completely turned off. So no, they didn’t ban AirTags, they never allowed active AirTags in checked luggage anyway. Since there’s probably no way to actually turn off an AirTag… on the other hand, airlines indeed usually don’t check luggage, but security checks could reveal the presence of a Lithium-based battery and trigger a check (by security, not the airline).
– jcaron
Oct 10, 2022 at 22:06
1

I believe there’s a similar ongoing debate on “smart” luggage (with built-in trackers and/or built-in electronic tags), not sure what the situation is on that at this time.
– jcaron
Oct 10, 2022 at 22:08
Airtags also violate further restrictions, which have been in place for a long time. Not only is the battery in combination with 'can't be turned off' a violation of ICAO rules, but they are also banned (both in checked and carry-on luggage) for containing a radio transmitter, which can't be turned off. Lufthansa also has their own luggage restrictions going beyond the ICAO requirements and do not allow devices containing lithium batteries at all in checked luggage, even if they are turned off.
– Tor-Einar Jarnbjo
Oct 11, 2022 at 16:17

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