New iPhone Feature for Tracking Lost Baggage Expands to More Airlines

[MacRumors]

A newer iPhone feature that makes it easier to share the location of AirTag-equipped baggage at airports has been adopted by more airlines.

iOS 18.2 added a new feature to the Find My app that allows you to temporarily share the location of an AirTag-equipped item with others, including employees at participating airlines. This way, if you have put AirTags inside your bags, the airline can better help you find them in the event they are lost or delayed at the airport.

Virgin Atlantic, Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings this week rolled out support for the feature. Other airlines that already offered the feature include Delta, United, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, and more.

Virgin Atlantic has a support page with step-by-step instructions, as does Lufthansa.

iPhone, iPad, and Mac users running iOS 18.2, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS Sequoia 15.2 or later can generate a "Share Item Location" link in the Find My app. Anyone they share the link with can then view a web page with a location of the item on a map. The page will automatically update with the item's latest known location.

Apple said it worked directly with airlines to put systems in place to "privately and securely" accept the "Share Item Location" links. Access to each link is "limited to a small number of people," and airport employees are required to "authenticate" to view the link by signing into their Apple Account or partner email address.

The item's location stops being shared "as soon as a user is reunited with their item," or automatically expires after seven days.

iOS 18.2 was released in December, and Apple said that additional airlines will implement this feature over the coming months.

Article Link: New iPhone Feature for Tracking Lost Baggage Expands to More Airlines

 

[thefrost]

First of all, don't lose your luggage. Then you won't have to worry! /s

 

[jdmachogg]

Aside from Virgin, they're all Lufthansa

 

[turbineseaplane]

Pack less and carry on your bags

 

[ddtmm]

This is a great feature and I've read that some luggage manufacturers are already making luggage with Find My-compatible tags built in. I never thought I'd see the day when my luggage would be getting firmware updates, but here we are...

 

[turbineseaplane]

This is a great feature and I've read that some luggage manufacturers are already making luggage with Find My-compatible tags built in. I never thought I'd see the day when my luggage would be getting firmware updates, but here we are...

Seems fun now .. wait until you need a subscription for your luggage to continue fully "working"

 

[Razorpit]

Seems fun now .. wait until you need a subscription for your luggage to continue fully "working"

Please don't give them any ideas...

 

[IIGS User]

First of all, don't lose your luggage. Then you won't have to worry! /s

When my luggage is in my possession I always know where it is.

The airlines are usually worse at this than I am. Fortunately I haven’t had an airline lose my luggage yet, but I suspect that day will come. When we do travel it’s usually for a week or more so “packing light” isn’t gonna cut it. You’re stuck with a checked bag.

We went on a cruise last year. My SO, who’s seen too many Dateline’s was convinced the only reason for getting an Air Tag was to stalk someone. That quickly changed when I whipped out my phone in the massive hall of luggage and walked my way to my Air Tagged bag. Money well spent.

 

[turbineseaplane]

When we do travel it’s usually for a week or more so “packing light” isn’t gonna cut it. You’re stuck with a checked bag.

I did an entire month (5 weeks actually) in Europe out of a Patagonia 55L bag

(it's about the max that'll fit for a carry on/overhead bin by airlines usual rules .. doable with it's flexible materials)

 

[raythompsontn]

Fortunately I haven’t had an airline lose my luggage yet, but I suspect that day will come

On a trip to California, pre AirTag (well a lot pre-tracking stuff) my luggage was "misplaced". My wife's made it just fine. I spent a week without my luggage. When I got back home the airline finally found the luggage. It had traveled to Dallas, Chicago, Atlanta, back to Dallas, back to Atlanta, then finally to my home airport where the airline delivered the bag. I found all that information after I got the luggage delivered and there was a sheet of paper with the circuitous route the luggage had taken.

I can track my bag on the Delta App and know exactly where my luggage has been last tagged. Which is actually pretty good. My last trip with the AirTag I was able to know where in the airport the luggage was located and even tracked its journey on the tarmac to finally loading on the plane. When I arrived I knew exactly when my bag arrived at the baggage claim.

Much better tracking than the Delta app. Amazing technology.

 

[thefrost]

Fortunately I haven’t had an airline lose my luggage yet, but I suspect that day will come.

Don't say that to yourself.

Money well spent.

That's nice for you.

 

[icanhazmac]

Pack less and carry on your bags

Please don't! There are few humans I hate more than those with roller carry-ons that put them in the first class overheads even though they are in the last row. Nothing bigger than a backpack would be great, or eliminate the overheads altogether!

Again, nothing from American Airlines, get with it AA.

 

[maxfromdenmark]

Lufthansa from the ban to cooperation.

 

[maxfromdenmark]

First of all, don't lose your luggage. Then you won't have to worry! /s

It’s usually a luggage handlings company is loosing someone’s luggage not a passenger.

 

[thefrost]

It’s usually a luggage handlings company is loosing someone’s luggage not a passenger.

Yeah so I am still right. Thanks for clarifying!

 

[Razorpit]

I did an entire month (5 weeks actually) in Europe out of a Patagonia 55L bag

(it's about the max that'll fit for a carry on/overhead bin by airlines usual rules .. doable with it's flexible materials)

I have the Tres Hombres and Sky Train from Red Oxx. Both are overbuilt and indestructible. Flexible bags are the key.

 

[Aeronauts]

I thought those paper tags they put on your luggage at checkin were supposed to track your bags. Obviously not.

 

[smithrh]

Please don't! There are few humans I hate more than those with roller carry-ons that put them in the first class overheads even though they are in the last row. Nothing bigger than a backpack would be great, or eliminate the overheads altogether!

Again, nothing from American Airlines, get with it AA.

It might be a while to hear from AA, as I wrote in the last thread:

https://forums.macrumors.com/threads/united-delta-and-air-canada-will-begin-supporting-find-my-for-lost-luggage-this-week.2445549/post-33629493

They use a separate contracted company (!) to deal with lost items.

 

[Aeronauts]

I don’t have any AirTags but I would buy a few just for this feature alone. Do you put them inside your luggage or on the handle?

 

[turbineseaplane]

I don’t have any AirTags but I would buy a few just for this feature alone. Do you put them inside your luggage or on the handle?

Probably want to hide them so the luggage handler who stole your bag has a hard time removing the tracker

 

[Plutonius]

It's a nice feature but the airlines should fix their problem of losing luggage.

 

[BruiserB]

Does this only work with Apple's AirTags or do other Find My compatible tags work with this system? I have a Eufy SmartTrack tag that I use in my suitcase and wonder if, in the event my bag got lost, I could share it with the airline the same way?

 

[lovehateapple]

It's a nice feature but the airlines should fix their problem of losing luggage.

When you handle as much luggage as the airlines do, it's understandable that a few bags will go missing. We're lucky to be living in a time where technology can help reduce the number of lost bags and speed up their recovery.

Theft is an entirely separate issue, but also can be reduced since airtags might work as a deterrent.

We're clearly talking about first world problems here...

 

[smithrh]

First world problems... are still problems

 

[BruiserB]

I don’t have any AirTags but I would buy a few just for this feature alone. Do you put them inside your luggage or on the handle?

The tag I have is inside the suitcase, but I put in one of the pockets that basically rest along the inside edge of the case so that it will be near the surface. In my experience any external tag is at risk of getting torn off in handling either purposely or accidentally.