Suitcase away, AirTag in: Airlines hope for more efficient luggage tracking

A new AirTag feature is apparently a hit with airlines. As Apple announced on Monday, 15 good airlines want to set up special procedures over the next few months for passengers to track lost luggage using approved AirTags. Airlines are outfitting their customer service with new systems to support a feature that Apple will soon bring to iPhones via a software update. As Apple emphasizes, “hundreds of thousands of Apple devices” that many airlines already have in use are also used for this purpose.

Advertisement

Lufthansa, British Airways, Iberia, Eurowings, Swiss International Air Lines and Turkish Airlines are on board. The full list also includes Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Delta Airlines, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Qantas, Singapore Airlines, United, Virgin Atlantic and Vueling. Other airlines will reportedly follow suit later.

AirTags: shareable tracking links available from iOS 18.2

As of iOS 18.2, users can use Apple’s “Find My?” Trackers compatible with the network are able to temporarily share the location with third parties – via a link that can be easily followed. It is valid for 7 days, after which the release automatically expires. AirTag location can already be shared with others, but the sensitive function is currently designed to only share it with partners, family or close friends.

X: The next wave of migration in Bluesky has again increased significantly since the US election

Access to the new function will be “limited to a small number of people” across airlines, the statement said. The recipient of the tracking link – in this case an airline employee – must also authenticate themselves to view the location. Operators are expecting increased efficiency in handling customer inquiries about lost luggage. This allows you to “more effectively locate the suitcases etc” you are looking for.

Precise location in busy areas

AirTags and Bluetooth trackers from other manufacturers that support Apple’s Find My network can be discovered using the Find My app. Practically every iPhone records such objects in the area and using end-to-end encryption sends the location to Apple servers, which the owner can use to retrieve the position. In cities, this sometimes works with an accuracy of only a few metres. iOS 18.2 is expected to be released to the general public in early December, and the new version of the operating system is already in beta testing.

(lb)