If you are one of the more travelers who prefer to keep checked airline luggage by using Apple’s Airtag, that’s good news.
Small battery-powered tracking ice hockey, $20-$30 per piececan slide into whatever the traveler wants to track the location. Airtag owners can use their iPhone or other Apple devices to keep their Airtag’s location in line with the Airtag, a neat trick many flyers use to ensure their luggage, wheelchairs or other key items that will never wander.
So far, if the airline or other travel provider has mistakenly enabled Airtag’s luggage, passengers must try to explain where the last detected luggage is by using a map that only the passenger can see. This is because as a security feature, every Airtag owner does not fit the location of their items.
But on Monday, November 11, Apple announced the launch of shared item locations, which allows travelers to select someone to show the current location of the Airtag. If any airline, transportation agent or other travel-related porter loses your bag, you will be able to send them a link that displays the map to the last known location of your stuff.
The ability to share links with the map immediately can make your wandering Airtag broadcast, which will make travel vendors track the wrong property and return it to you, making it easier and faster.
In fact, Apple said 12 airlines have registered to use the system.
“In the coming months, more than 15 airlines serving millions of people globally—including Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Australian 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, and Vueling – Will start accepting my item location as part of their customer service process to find improper or delayed luggage, “Apple Announced in a statement.
American Airlines is one of the three major airlines that have not yet participated. No major U.S.-based banned operators have announced participation.
Apple said the system will debut at several airports before its planned global launch in 2025 in late 2024. Travelers who already own Airtags will be able to use their existing equipment without upgrading.
For privacy, the Shared Project Location Link is only available to a few people, and any airline worker or luggage handler trying to open the Shared Link will need to be authenticated to view it.
“In addition, SITA, a leader in air transport technology, will provide support for the stake locations to support WorldTracer, a luggage tracking system used by more than 500 airlines and ground handling personnel at more than 2,800 airports around the world,” the announcement promised.
That’s just an airline, but hopefully other travel providers will join in. My Cruise Voyage in 2022 Disney’s Wishes No luggage sailed from the port. I can’t convince anyone in Disney Cruise Line’s customer service to look up the map on my smartphone showing that my schoolbag was forgotten by Disney’s Porter service.
If the sharing project location plan already existed and Disney attended the conference, I could simply show a special link to a staff member, within a few feet my neglected luggage was sitting there – I didn’t have to rush to buy T-shirts from souvenir shops.