<story><title>Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage</title><url>https://onemileatatime.com/news/lufthansa-bans-airtags/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>nostrademons</author><text>Note that the reason for airport mode is a courtesy to cell-phone carriers.  It&amp;#x27;s not any air safety issue.  Rather, 300-500 cell phones all trying to contact the next cell tower, multiple times per minute, would wreak havoc on cell service.&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.inverse.com&amp;#x2F;article&amp;#x2F;51015-cell-phone-use-on-airplanes-airplane-mode-thanksgiving-travel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.inverse.com&amp;#x2F;article&amp;#x2F;51015-cell-phone-use-on-airp...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;At one point, when both cell phones and laptops were new, there was perhaps a risk to the airplane&amp;#x27;s electronics.  Modern cell phones have been steadily tuned to reduce interference with other electronics though - good thing, otherwise you couldn&amp;#x27;t use them in a modern home with its dozens of connected devices.  And modern avionics have been shielded to protect them from outside electronic interference - also a good thing, otherwise the next terrorist could simply turn their laptop on.  The ban on electronic transmission is one of those regulations that was a response to technology at a particular point in time but now is largely vestigial.  You can tell because it&amp;#x27;s rarely enforced, and yet bad things do not occur just because you forgot to turn your phone to airplane mode.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>crystaln</author><text>The term airplane mode will persist as an anachronism forever. Some day we will have to explain to our grandchildren why disabling networks has anything to do with airplanes.</text></comment>
<story><title>Lufthansa bans AirTags in checked luggage</title><url>https://onemileatatime.com/news/lufthansa-bans-airtags/</url></story><parent_chain><item><author>nostrademons</author><text>Note that the reason for airport mode is a courtesy to cell-phone carriers.  It&amp;#x27;s not any air safety issue.  Rather, 300-500 cell phones all trying to contact the next cell tower, multiple times per minute, would wreak havoc on cell service.&lt;p&gt;&lt;a href=&quot;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.inverse.com&amp;#x2F;article&amp;#x2F;51015-cell-phone-use-on-airplanes-airplane-mode-thanksgiving-travel&quot; rel=&quot;nofollow&quot;&gt;https:&amp;#x2F;&amp;#x2F;www.inverse.com&amp;#x2F;article&amp;#x2F;51015-cell-phone-use-on-airp...&lt;/a&gt;&lt;p&gt;At one point, when both cell phones and laptops were new, there was perhaps a risk to the airplane&amp;#x27;s electronics.  Modern cell phones have been steadily tuned to reduce interference with other electronics though - good thing, otherwise you couldn&amp;#x27;t use them in a modern home with its dozens of connected devices.  And modern avionics have been shielded to protect them from outside electronic interference - also a good thing, otherwise the next terrorist could simply turn their laptop on.  The ban on electronic transmission is one of those regulations that was a response to technology at a particular point in time but now is largely vestigial.  You can tell because it&amp;#x27;s rarely enforced, and yet bad things do not occur just because you forgot to turn your phone to airplane mode.</text></item></parent_chain><comment><author>madrox</author><text>I once forgot to put my cell phone in airplane mode during a flight from London to SFO (and didn&amp;#x27;t use my phone during the flight). I was rather alarmed to see a flood of text messages from my carrier welcoming me to Iceland, Canada, and the US upon my landing.</text></comment>