Apple aims to end lost luggage nightmare with new feature

Travellers often experience the frustration of reaching their destination only to find their luggage is missing. In 2023, about 6.9 bags per 1,000 passengers were mishandled, with 5% of those reported as lost or stolen, according to SITA, an IT provider for airlines. Now, Apple wants to help you find your lost luggage.

The tech giant is unveiling a new feature where users will be able to share an Air Tag’s location with third parties, like airlines. In the Find My application, users will be able to generate and share a link to an Air Tag’s location as part of the “Share Item Location” feature.

The new service will be integrated into airline customer service at 15 carriers, including Delta and United, according to an Apple news release published on November 11. Passengers who attach an air tag to their luggage will be able to share its live location with the airline, helping people track their luggage while flying — and find it if lost.

Usually, an Apple user can see the location of their Air Tags in their Find My application. Now, users will be able to create a live-updating link that they can share with others.

The link will lead to a website that will display the Air Tag’s live location on an interactive Apple map. Users can disable the link at any time, and it will automatically expire either when the user is reunited with their Air Tag, or after seven days.

David Kinzelman, United’s chief customer officer, said the company will be incorporating the Share Item Location feature into its “baggage recovery process.”

“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. “We plan to accept Find My item locations in select airports initially, with the goal of introducing the service systemwide in early 2025.”

In a statement to CNN, a spokesperson for United said more details would be shared over time.

In addition to integrating the Share Item Location feature directly into some airline companies’ customer service, the technology will be built into SITA’s baggage-tracing system that is used by more than 500 airlines and 2,800 airports across the globe, says a CNN report.

The new Apple feature, currently available globally in beta, is part of the upcoming iOS 18.2 update, expected in December. Since its launch in 2021, the Apple AirTag has helped users track items like wallets and keys, and now Apple hopes it will ease the frustration of lost luggage for travellers.