If there’s anything more likely to spark a heated debate between frequent flyers, you would be hard-pressed to beat the discourse surrounding the pros and cons of checking in a bag versus sticking with hand luggage only.
For the hand baggage-only brigade, they’ll swear they can fit everything into a rollaboard even on the longest of trips, while they make a good point that waiting for your check-in luggage at the other end is a frustrating and time-consuming experience.
What’s worse, though, is when you’re the last person standing at the luggage carousel, and it dawns on you that your bag isn’t going to show up at all. You then have to file a lost luggage report and hope that the airline can track down your case and return it to you promptly.
Thankfully, airlines like United boast that 99% of checked-in bags make it to their intended destination with their owner. Facts like that are, however, little consolation to the 1% who are left just in the clothing on their backs while they wait for the airline to locate their luggage.
Technology to speed up this repatriation process is in use, but there are still times when lost or delayed luggage can sit in a mountain of other bags, waiting for a human to manually sort through bags one by one and reconcile them with their rightful owner.
That’s where Apple’s AirTag gadget has come in so handy for many travelers, and some airlines are finally working with the California-based tech giant to build the AirTag into their lost luggage processes.
- What is an Apple AirTag, and how does it work?
- Are Apple AirTags allowed in checked-in luggage?
- Why AirTags are a good idea but didn’t initially help passengers track down lost luggage
- What is Apple’s Share Item Location link?
- How will the Share Item Location service work for lost luggage?
- Step-by-Step guide to setting up a Share Item Location Link
- Which airlines will use the Share Item Location to help locate lost or delayed luggage?
What is an Apple AirTag, and how does it work?
Launched in April 2021, the Apple AirTag is a small disc-like gadget that can be used to track various everyday and commonly misplaced items. AirTag owners often attach them to their keychains or place them in their wallets to avoid those embarrassing moments when you can’t find your valuables.
The actual gadget requires no user input. Unlike traditional luggage trackers, the AirTag doesn’t rely on expensive and bulky GPS technology, and as it is powered with a small lithium coin battery, the AirTag remains permanently on.
In order to work out its location, the AirTag sends out a unique identifier code via Bluetooth, which is picked up by nearby Apple devices like iPhones. The location data is then securely transmitted to Apple, which displays the location of the AirTag in the owner’s Find My app on their iPhone or Mac.
Are Apple AirTags allowed in checked-in luggage?
When Apple first launched the AirTag, one of its original design purposes was as a check-in luggage tracker, but in late 2022, German flag carrier Lufthansa made the surprise decision to ban AirTags from checked luggage because of the lithium battery that powers them.
Lufthansa cited regulations drawn up by the UN’s official civil aviation body that classed AirTags as a form of ‘dangerous goods’ because of its battery. Although the lithium disc batteries used to power AirTags are tiny, some airlines, including Air New Zealand, feared they posed a safety risk because they couldn’t be turned off.
Thankfully, the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) stepped in and amended its guidance on dangerous goods to specifically allow AirTags to be checked in luggage.
As a result, AirTags are allowed in checked-in luggage and there are no known bans.
Why AirTags are a good idea but didn’t initially help passengers track down lost luggage
AirTags came to prominence as a check-in luggage tracker in 2022 when international travel started to rebound from the COVID-19 pandemic. At the time, however, the aviation industry was struggling to hire back and retain staff, and that led to major issues with checked-in luggage being lost or delayed.
Passengers were able to track their luggage through the airport and, in lots of cases, were able to see whether their bag had been loaded on the plane before it had left the gate.
Unfortunately, airlines had no systems of processes to deal with passengers telling them the exact location of their lost luggage. Instead, airlines would ignore this vital information and make passengers wait until a baggage handler had manually sorted through a sea of bags.
What is Apple’s Share Item Location link?
Clearly, this was an issue that perplexed the folks at Apple, who had spent so much time and effort to create a cheap and efficient luggage tracker that not only worked but was also proving popular with consumers.
Behind the scenes, however, Apple was secretly working with airlines on a new iOS update that would rectify this bizarre anomaly.
With the launch of iOS 18.2, Apple iPhone users now have the ability to share the location of their AirTags or other Bluetooth-enabled Apple devices through a new Share Item Location tool in the Find My app.
In order to use the Share Item Location link, you must be using an iPhone X or later model and have upgraded your iOS to version at least 18.2.
From the Find My app, you simply tap on the AirTag or device that you want to share the location of and create a Share Item Location link. Whoever receives the link can view the item’s location on a web page with an interactive map.
Once the owner is reunited with their property, the link automatically expires, and users can disable the link at any time.
As part of the development of the Share Item Location service, Apple worked with 15 airlines to build the technology into their lost luggage processes, helped by the fact that many airlines already deploy thousands of Apple devices at airports around the world.
How will the Share Item Location service work for lost luggage?
If you find yourself being the unlucky one standing at the carousel all alone while everyone else has collected their luggage, you’ll need to submit a lost luggage report with the airline as normal.
Thankfully, many airlines now allow you to submit a delayed luggage report online or via their app without needing to wait in line at an airport counter, but double-check this before leaving the airport.
The report will ask for all the usual details like your booking reference and personal particulars, as well as a description of the luggage and any luggage tag numbers that you might happen to have (normally stuck to the back of your boarding pass or passport).
You’ll then be allowed to provide a Share Item Location link within the report. As an additional privacy and safety safeguard, airline representatives will be required to authenticate in order to view the link.
It’s then up to the airline to use the interactive map to track down the luggage and reunite it with its owner in the usual way.
Step-by-Step guide to setting up a Share Item Location Link
1. Open up the Find My app to view your AirTags and devices.
2. Scroll down until you see the options for ‘Lost AirTag’
3. Click on Share Item Location to start the process of creating a secure link
4. You can then copy the Share Item Location link or share it within the Find My app
If you want an airline to track your lost luggage, copy and paste this link in the appropriate section of your lost baggage report.
5. The link will display a webpage that shows the location of your AirTag.
The link will automatically expire when you have been reunited with the AirTag, and it can be disabled at any time via the Find My ap.p
Which airlines will use the Share Item Location to help locate lost or delayed luggage?
So far, Apple has convinced 18 airlines to build the Share Item Location feature into their delayed luggage processes, although Apple promises that more airlines are expected to sign up in the near future.
 | 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 Airlines |
 | Turkish Airlines |
 | United Airlines |
 | Virgin Atlantic |
 | Vueling |
As you might have noticed, two major airline groups make up the bulk of airlines that have engaged with Apple on this project so far. First, there is Madrid-based IAG, which counts Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and Vueling as member airlines, and there is the Lufthansa Group, which is rolling out Share Item Location to Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Lufthansa and SWISS.
Interestingly, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines is using the tech, but other carriers within the Air France-KLM Group are not currently accepting Share Item Location links.
Thankfully, one of the world’s biggest names in the aviation back office ecosystem, SITA, is building support for Share Item Location into its WorldTracer baggage-tracing system. The system is currently used by over 500 airlines and ground handlers at more than 2,800 airports worldwide, although there is no timeline for when this will become available.
