Apple Just Made It Easier for Airlines to Track Lost Baggage Thanks to AirTag Update

Apple will now allow AirTag users to share location data with airlines in an effort to make lost luggage a thing of the past.

Thanks to a new software update, the tech company will allow customers to share the location of an AirTag or other Find My network accessory with third parties, according to Apple. More than a dozen airlines have agreed to begin accepting these Find My Item locations as part of their customer service process in the coming months, the company added.

The new feature will be available as part of Apple’s public beta of iOS 18.2, which is free to download for anyone with an iPhone X or newer.

“Find My is an essential tool for users around the world to keep track of and find their belongings,” Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of services, said in a statement. “The Find My network and AirTag have proven to be a powerful combination for users while traveling, providing invaluable location information when bags have been misplaced or mishandled. With Share Item Location, we’re excited to give users a new way to easily share this information directly with third parties like airlines, all while protecting their privacy.”

Soon, travelers will be able to share the location data with several popular carriers around the world, including Delta Air Lines and United Airlines in the United States, as well as Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Vueling.

Apple said it plans to add more airlines in the future.

For their part, David Kinzelman, United’s chief customer officer, said the carrier plans to initially accept Find My item locations in select airports, “with the goal of introducing the service systemwide in early 2025.” It wasn’t immediately clear which airports the service would first be available in.

“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,” Kinzelman said in a statement.

AirTags work with Bluetooth to track any item they're attached to. The Bluetooth signal privately and securely connects to any device in Apple's location-tracking network (like other iPhones), triangulating the device’s location.

In the event an airline does lose your luggage, travelers should file a missing baggage report, review the airline’s compensation policy for lost or delayed baggage, and keep tracking the status of your claim.

Credit: Alison Fox - Travel & Leisure