An airline passenger used his Apple AirTags to track down his missing luggage when it didn't arrive at the baggage claim. AirTags only became available in April 2021. Since then, they have grown in popularity, given how handy they are in finding missing belongings. The device works with Bluetooth by sending out a signal that a nearby device can detect in a user's Find My network. The location is then beamed to iCloud and can be seen on a map in the Find My app. Like other devices in the Apple family, an AirTag can be placed in Lost Mode. This process uses near-field communication (NFC). A user with an NFC can get someone's contact information to return the AirTags if the original user sets it up that way. The whole process is also encrypted.
Traveling can already be a stressful experience for some, whether someone is afraid of flying or just trying to catch their flight or connection on time. The last thing anyone wants is to lose their bags. It's not so bad when the bag is lost when the person arrives home. The airport can deliver the bag to them once it's found, and they will have more belongings at home. It's worse when the luggage is lost when the traveler arrives at their destination. Imagine not having clothes for a loved one's funeral. Sure, the airline is likely to give the person money, but does anyone want to go clothes shopping when they say farewell to a loved one? And what if the person is on a business trip with binders or equipment. The person can't quickly reproduce or replace those. So finding lost luggage and finding it fast is essential.
On the travel website, The Points Guy, Ross Feinstein detailed a recent experience where he lost his luggage, but his AirTag was able to track it down. He was on a ski trip and needed to take two flights to Madrid and collect and recheck his bags. He had two bags, one with ski gear and the other one with his skis, poles and other equipment. Feinstein tracked his luggage on the airline mobile app. It appeared that both had arrived at baggage claim at about the same time. But his bag with the skis was not on the conveyor belt. He opened up the Find My app and tracked his bag. It was still next to the airplane. He went to the baggage customer service desk and worked with the agent to get his luggage. While the app said it had arrived at baggage claim, the person who was supposed to take the bag to the oversized bag area had not collected it. He was able to get his bag and catch his next flight. But if he didn't have his AirTags, would he have found and received his bag so quickly?
Can AirTag Technology Help Find Luggage Quicker?
While the technology for airplane baggage has improved over the years, passenger bags still get misplaced or lost, as Feinstein's account shows. According to The Points Guy, most airlines still rely on scanning barcodes at different points throughout the journey. Passengers can track this on the airlines' apps. There are also more scans done behind the scenes to keep a better track of baggage. In addition, some have expanded to radio-frequency identification (RFID) and also use "real-time tracking devices for pets." The latter is a better method for tracking luggage. Unfortunately, none of this is perfect, and that's why so many travelers choose not to check their baggage to ensure nothing is lost.
Passengers could choose to use AirTags to help ensure they can find their luggage quickly. Though, this will only work if the bag is in the airport. Sometimes, luggage gets left at another airport. For example, if the person has connection flights, the bag might not make it to the next flight. So, it wouldn't be much use then. If airports used technology similar to AirTags, it could help track down the luggage in the airport quicker for passengers. It may even help alert another airport that a bag is missing quicker, given that a user can send an alert to the device. More airlines should expand to RFID and experiment with other technologies. With how expensive it is to check bags these days, luggage should never be lost.
Source: The Points Guy