“I had an AirTag inside and knew that it was at the airport, but the airline wouldn’t let me go behind the counter to get it,” he said.
Apple will initially partner with 15 airlines to share AirTag data.
Adam had to wait until Air Canada processed the missing bag within its internal systems, a painstaking delay of more than a week.
Other travellers have gone to even more extreme measures when faced with a luggage impasse. That’s included tracking a missing suitcase with $7600 worth of valuables to the home of an airline employee – or intercepting a vehicle carrying a checked bag (and an AirTag) while holidaying in Italy.
“I was told by British Airways that my bag was in Venice, but I was tracking it with an AirTag in northern Italy,” said May Lilley, the chief marketing officer for Under Canvas. “I got my bag back without the help of the airline, and I had to stop a DHL truck to do it.”
Fewer lost bags
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With Apple’s “Share Item Location” feature, airline employees should, in theory, be more empowered to return items to owners.
This would be a major shift, because carriers have been reluctant to adopt third-party tracking devices. German airline Lufthansa even temporarily banned AirTags in 2022 before clarifying its policy and allowing them days later.
In its announcement, Apple said the move will help recover misplaced items “easily and securely”. The shared location feature is disabled when a traveller is reunited with their item and can be stopped by the owner at any time. It’s also set to automatically expire after seven days.
Some questions remain, including details on how airlines will integrate this new tech into their lost baggage procedures.
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“In the coming months, Delta Air Lines will begin accepting Find My item locations as part of our customer service for locating mishandled or delayed bags,” Delta said in a statement.
Beyond working with individual airlines, Apple is also partnering with SITA, the company behind a baggage-tracing system used by over 500 airlines and ground handlers at 2800 airports around the world.
Meanwhile, despite multiple luggage meltdowns that have made headlines in recent years, data from SITA has shown fewer items are getting lost overall. The number of mishandled bags per 1000 passengers dropped from 7.6 to 6.9 from 2022 to 2023.
For travellers who anxiously check their suitcases, it’s time to breathe just a bit easier. That is, as long as you have an AirTag.
The Washington Post