Lufthansa, a European airline, has banned Apple AirTags and other similar gadgets from checked baggage, calling them "hazardous."

• Rating

• tracking
• bluetooth
• devices
• cellphones
• luggage

Among the main airlines in Europe, Apple AirTags on checked bags are being discontinued.

Germany's largest airline, Lufthansa, said on Twitter on Saturday that passengers would no longer be allowed to check bags with "active AirTags" because the gadgets "are designated as harmful and need to be switched off" while in flight.

Apple's AirTags are Bluetooth trackers around the size of a quarter that work with the iPhone's "Find My" app to help you locate misplaced objects like your keys or backpack. The gadgets, which may be attached to a suitcase in case it is lost in transit, have become more popular among travelers.

A Lufthansa representative told the German news source Watson that passengers who wish to keep their AirTags connected to their checked bags must first remove the batteries.

A spokeswoman for the International Civil Aviation Organization explained that because baggage trackers are electronic devices, they fall under the ICAO's hazardous goods standards for air travel.

Due of the AirTags' Bluetooth communication feature, Lufthansa stated in a tweet on Sunday that the trackers must be disabled before being placed in checked luggage.

U.S. travelers may rest certain that Bluetooth monitoring devices like AirTags are permitted on all bags, as verified by the Transportation Security Administration on Friday.

While the FCC still prohibits the use of telephones in flight to prevent electromagnetic interference to ground-based cellular networks, the FAA now permits the use of short-range Bluetooth devices and other personal gadgets by passengers so long as they remain in airplane mode.