The uneasy suitcase wait at airport baggage claim is being transformed for Apple users as part of the tech giant’s latest update – and lost luggage worries could soon be a thing of the past.
Following the iOS 18.2 update on 9 December, travellers will be able to share the location of an AirTag with third parties, including airlines, to recover misplaced items.
Where formerly only the AirTag owner could track its whereabouts, the location can now be sent using the ‘Find My’ app on an Apple device – including iPhones, iPads, or Macs – with the most recent destination of lost items shown timestamped on an “interactive map”.
More than 15 airlines, including British Airways, United, Virgin Atlantic, and Vueling, will soon begin accepting ‘Find My’ item locations as part of their process for locating mishandled or delayed bags.
Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services, said: “Find My is an essential tool for users around the world to keep track of and find their belongings.
“The Find My network and AirTag have proven to be a powerful combination for users while travelling, providing invaluable location information when bags have been misplaced or mishandled. With Share Item Location, we’re excited to give users a new way to easily share this information directly with third parties like airlines, all while protecting their privacy.”
Apple AirTags retail for £35 and use Bluetooth technology to allow iPhone users to track items on the ‘Find My’ network.
The shared location link will be disabled once a user is reunited with their item and automatically expire after seven days.
Annalisa Gigante, head of innovation at IAG, the parent company of British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, Aer Lingus, and LEVEL said: “By accepting Find My item locations, we’ll be able to offer additional peace of mind to customers who travel with AirTag in their luggage.
“We’re always testing innovative solutions and enhancing our systems to ensure that checked bags reach their intended destination as quickly as possible, and we look forward to incorporating this solution into our lost baggage processes beginning later this year.”
According to a June report by aviation data specialists at Sita, 100,000 pieces of luggage go astray each day around the world.
Simon Calder, travel correspondent of The Independent, said that trackers placed inside luggage “may not help” in every case.
“We’ve seen baggage mountains at London Heathrow and Edinburgh airports in which some tags were showing up, but which individual passengers were not allowed to access,” said Simon.
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