The end of lost luggage? Apple to partner with airlines on AirTags

When Apple introduced its location-tracking device more than three years ago, it quickly became a traveller favourite for one major reason: the ability to keep tabs on checked luggage. Now, AirTags are about to get a major update that will help fliers get reunited with their missing bags.

Apple announced a new feature on Monday called “Share Item Location,” providing users the ability to securely communicate an AirTag’s location to third parties – including airlines.

Changes to Apple’s AirTags will allow uses to share location details with airlines. Credit: Getty Images

Once rolled out as part of an upcoming iOS update, it could alter how missing items are found, retrieved and returned to their owners at airports around the world.

To start, Apple plans to work with 15 airlines globally, including Qantas, Air New Zealand and Singapore Airlines. These carriers will integrate the new shared tracking technology directly into their customer service processes in the coming months.

Locating mishandled bags, a catch-all industry term for lost, damaged or delayed, will look a lot different than today.

“Having an AirTag was great before, but there was no official policy for getting your bag back even if you could show its location to an airline employee,” said Stella Shon, a consumer travel expert for Upgraded Points. “The sharing functionality is a game-changing feature.”

Outsmarting the airlines

Apple’s latest feature solves a major pain point for travellers with AirTags. Too often, passengers with lost bags know more than the airline does – and can’t get the carrier to take action.

Dan Adam, a 36-year-old technology professional from San Francisco, was travelling with his parents to Germany when Air Canada lost one of their two suitcases.

“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

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.

“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