Lost luggage? New feature will let you tell airlines where it is

SEATTLE, Wash. — Using an Apple AirTag to track luggage has been a popular tip from travel experts for years, but now some major airlines will work directly with the tech company to help pinpoint your missing items.

Apple says in the coming months, more than a dozen airlines globally will begin accepting ‘Find My item’ locations as part of their customer service process for locating mishandled or delayed bags.

Here’s the list of airlines

Aer Lingus

Air Canada

Air New Zealand

Austrian Airlines

British Airways

Brussels Airlines

Delta Air Lines

Eurowings

Iberia

KLM Royal Dutch Airlines

Lufthansa

Qantas

Singapore Airlines

Swiss International Air Lines

Turkish Airlines

United

Virgin Atlantic

Vueling

“We know many of our customers are already traveling with AirTag in their checked bags, and this feature will soon make it easier for them to share location information with us safely and securely, helping our customer service agents work more efficiently and giving our customers added peace of mind,” said David Kinzelman, United’s Chief Customer Officer in a news release.

Kinzelman says United Airlines plans to accept ‘Find My’ item locations in select airports initially, and eventually introduce the service systemwide in early 2025.

The company says more airlines will be added over time.

How does it work?

With iOS 18.2, users can share a secure link with the location of an AirTag or ‘Find My’ network accessory with others — including airlines.

‘Share Item Location’ is available now in most regions worldwide as part of the public beta of iOS 18.2, which will soon be available to all users as a free software update for iPhone Xs and later.

Apple says the shared location will be disabled as soon as a user is reunited with their item and can be stopped by the owner at any time. If you forget— don’t worry. Sharing will stop automatically after a week.

Users can generate a ‘Share Item Location’ link in the ‘Find My’ app on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac. The link will take airlines or other recipients to an interactive map that shows the location of the item. The website will update when a new location is available and show a timestamp.

Additionally, SITA, a leader in air transport technology, will build support for ‘Share Item Location’ into WorldTracer, the baggage-tracing system used by over 500 airlines and ground handlers at more than 2,800 airports around the world.

©2024 Cox Media Group