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“ Lufthansa claims that the transmission function needs to be turned off during flight when in checked luggage, just as is required for cell phones, laptops, et

“ Lufthansa claims that the transmission function needs to be turned off during flight when in checked luggage, just as is required for cell phones, laptops, etc.” On my phone, turning on airplane mode seems to disable the cell and wifi radios (with wifi able to be toggled back on) but Bluetooth defaults to staying on.

mft_ 4y ago
Indeed; and there's no problem with half of a plane using Bluetooth headphones during the flight, either. I don't think this move by Lufthansa has much to do with engineering :)
aaaaaaaaaaab 4y ago
It's a bullshit excuse and they know it. Lufthansa even has on-board WiFi on their planes. How are you going to use it if your laptop is supposed to have "transmission function" turned off? They just don't want people to have proof they've lost their luggage.
eftychis 4y ago
Yeah that is... a non argument by Lufthansa -- i will be polite. (Resources: Here is for FAA, EU ruling is similar: https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/ped/ https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/ped/ — check the FAQ also.) They technically can -— the best kind of can I guess —- but it is not in the spirit of course of ILS interference (@108-112 MHz) with Bluetooth at 2.45 GHz and extremely low range. Hell the pilot is likely to have their iPad with Bluetooth on during all plane operations. FAA expects to be communicating with mature individuals and entities and not this in their guidelines. With the same thinking they can ban pacemakers and all cordless headphones, and …breathing. Good luck to Lufthansa. They just declared their baggage handling sucks.
glitcher 4y ago
It also sounds incredibly dumb when you think about how checked luggage gets scanned and searched. Isn't it typically after you've dropped it off with airline staff and have walked away towards a terminal gate? And when they find an airtag in checked luggage, how can they tell by looking at the airtag itself if "transmission function" has been turned off??? It seems to me they either have to throw away all airtags they find in luggage, or they have to check everyones' phones inside the airplane before they take off, or they're just bluffing.
- seanp2k2 4y ago
  >throw away all airtags I have no doubt that they'll do exactly this. They'll likely stick them into an RF-blocking pouch first, then destroy them all. You won't get it back, you won't get any compensation, and they'll point to their policies as to why.
  - teddyh 4y ago
    You’re aiming to project maximum evil. While emotionally satisfying, it does not usually have good predictive powers. What you should be doing is to predict maximum laziness instead. As in, they will probably only destroy airtags inside a particular luggage when they know that the luggage is already lost and it would be embarrasing for them if its location was known.
    - angry_octet 4y ago
      But it records last known position. Logically they should put it in some else's luggage that is being picked up, thereby sending you on a wild goose chase.
      - teddyh 4y ago
        But that would entail more work.
  - CogitoCogito 4y ago
    I consider Lufthansa a pretty evil company, but I still doubt they will open your luggage and then destroy your personal property.
golem14 4y ago
Apple could add a pressure sensor and disable transmission while in the air. Yes, might be not working for Tahoe or Mexico City but work in most places.
- josephcsible 4y ago
  Why would doing that be in Apple's interest? Also, consider that the air pressure in airline cabins is about the same as it is on the ground in Santa Fe, NM.
- m463 4y ago
  Can't help but think any "disable" function would be used by thieves to steal stuff.
zerocrates 4y ago
Huh, I'd have assumed (and remembered?) that airplane mode turned off all transmission, but I suppose with the huge increase in Bluetooth headphones that would be quite inconvenient, so maybe it was changed.

mft_ 4y ago

Indeed; and there's no problem with half of a plane using Bluetooth headphones during the flight, either. I don't think this move by Lufthansa has much to do with engineering :)

aaaaaaaaaaab 4y ago

It's a bullshit excuse and they know it. Lufthansa even has on-board WiFi on their planes. How are you going to use it if your laptop is supposed to have "transmission function" turned off? They just don't want people to have proof they've lost their luggage.

eftychis 4y ago

Yeah that is... a non argument by Lufthansa -- i will be polite. (Resources: Here is for FAA, EU ruling is similar: https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/ped/ https://www.faa.gov/about/initiatives/ped/ — check the FAQ also.) They technically can -— the best kind of can I guess —- but it is not in the spirit of course of ILS interference (@108-112 MHz) with Bluetooth at 2.45 GHz and extremely low range. Hell the pilot is likely to have their iPad with Bluetooth on during all plane operations. FAA expects to be communicating with mature individuals and entities and not this in their guidelines. With the same thinking they can ban pacemakers and all cordless headphones, and …breathing. Good luck to Lufthansa. They just declared their baggage handling sucks.

glitcher 4y ago

It also sounds incredibly dumb when you think about how checked luggage gets scanned and searched. Isn't it typically after you've dropped it off with airline staff and have walked away towards a terminal gate? And when they find an airtag in checked luggage, how can they tell by looking at the airtag itself if "transmission function" has been turned off??? It seems to me they either have to throw away all airtags they find in luggage, or they have to check everyones' phones inside the airplane before they take off, or they're just bluffing.

seanp2k2 4y ago
>throw away all airtags I have no doubt that they'll do exactly this. They'll likely stick them into an RF-blocking pouch first, then destroy them all. You won't get it back, you won't get any compensation, and they'll point to their policies as to why.
- teddyh 4y ago
  You’re aiming to project maximum evil. While emotionally satisfying, it does not usually have good predictive powers. What you should be doing is to predict maximum laziness instead. As in, they will probably only destroy airtags inside a particular luggage when they know that the luggage is already lost and it would be embarrasing for them if its location was known.
  - angry_octet 4y ago
    But it records last known position. Logically they should put it in some else's luggage that is being picked up, thereby sending you on a wild goose chase.
    - teddyh 4y ago
      But that would entail more work.
- CogitoCogito 4y ago
  I consider Lufthansa a pretty evil company, but I still doubt they will open your luggage and then destroy your personal property.

golem14 4y ago

Apple could add a pressure sensor and disable transmission while in the air. Yes, might be not working for Tahoe or Mexico City but work in most places.

josephcsible 4y ago
Why would doing that be in Apple's interest? Also, consider that the air pressure in airline cabins is about the same as it is on the ground in Santa Fe, NM.
m463 4y ago
Can't help but think any "disable" function would be used by thieves to steal stuff.

zerocrates 4y ago

Huh, I'd have assumed (and remembered?) that airplane mode turned off all transmission, but I suppose with the huge increase in Bluetooth headphones that would be quite inconvenient, so maybe it was changed.