Apple Teams Up with Airlines to Track Lost Luggage with AirTags

Lost or misplaced baggage is a common and frustrating experience for many air travelers, often leading to complaints directed at airlines. In recent years, travelers have increasingly turned to the Apple AirTag as a personal solution to keep tabs on their luggage while flying. Now, Apple is stepping up its game by introducing an enhanced feature to make baggage tracking even easier, especially in partnership with airlines.

Introducing Apple’s New “Share Item Location” Feature

Apple has launched "Share Item Location," a new feature in iOS, designed to help users track and recover misplaced items by securely sharing the location of an AirTag or any Find My network accessory with others. This feature is especially useful for sharing item locations with third parties, such as airlines, making it easier for travelers to locate their baggage. With Apple’s large network of Find My-compatible devices, this feature is set to offer a more comprehensive tracking experience for travelers and their airlines.

How “Share Item Location” Works

The Share Item Location feature allows users to generate a shareable location link directly from the Find My app on an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. This link can then be sent to a third party, who can view the item’s location on an interactive map accessible through a dedicated website. As the location updates, the website will automatically refresh, displaying the latest position along with a timestamp to show how recent the information is. This real-time, interactive map feature enhances tracking by providing location updates as the item moves, making it easier for airlines to assist in locating and recovering misplaced bags.

Which Airlines Are Partnering with Apple?

Apple has collaborated with a number of major airlines to implement systems that allow secure access to the Share Item Location feature. These systems ensure that shared links can only be viewed by authenticated airline representatives, who must verify their credentials using either their Apple account or a partner email address. The link access is restricted to a limited number of individuals to maintain security and privacy, further enhancing trust between users and airline representatives.

Airlines Participating in Apple’s Initiative

More than 15 prominent airlines are set to roll out Apple’s Share Item Location as part of their customer service operations for locating delayed or mishandled bags. This list includes:

• 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 Airlines

• Virgin Atlantic

• Vueling

These airlines, which collectively serve millions of passengers worldwide, will soon integrate this feature to enhance the process of tracking lost baggage. Apple has also stated that more airlines will join the initiative in the near future.

Availability of the Share Item Location Feature

The Share Item Location feature is currently accessible to users enrolled in the public beta program for iOS 18.2. For users who are not part of the beta program, Apple plans to release the full version of iOS 18.2 soon as a free software update. The feature will be available on iPhones starting from the iPhone Xs model and newer. As the update becomes more widely available, travelers across various regions will have greater access to this enhanced luggage-tracking capability, helping to ease the stress of lost baggage incidents.

Conclusion

Apple’s new Share Item Location feature, paired with strategic partnerships with major airlines, marks a significant step forward in reducing the frustration of lost baggage for air travelers. With this feature, travelers can have peace of mind knowing that both Apple and the airline staff can work together to locate their bags more efficiently. As Apple continues to expand its network of airline partners, the solution promises to become even more effective, making lost baggage a much less daunting issue for travelers worldwide.