Apple just announced a new feature for its AirTag. Users can share a link with the location of their AirTag with third parties. The first crop of people who will be eligible will be 15 airline partners. We all know that Airlines lose or delay bags more than we like. The AirTag helps in this process
Translating this to common English. In the past, users would place an AirTag in their luggage. The users are able to track and locate their bag (with the AirTag inside) through the Find My Feature on their iPhone based upon the Bluetooth linking from other people with iPhones. This worked well when a bag gets lost. The users were able to find the general location (whether the bag was in the origin, destination or other city). The challenge was that airlines and baggage handlers did not utilize this feature the most beneficial way.
With the introduction of the Share Item Location, a user can share the location of the AirTag with third parties. For those concerned, the Share Feature is a temporary one that ends once you get your bag or after 7 days.
“Find My is an essential tool for users around the world to keep track of and find their belongings,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. “The Find My network and AirTag have proven to be a powerful combination for users while traveling, 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.”
Users can generate a Share Item Location link in the Find My app on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Recipients of a link will be able to view a website that shows a location of the item on an interactive map. The website will automatically update when a new location is available and will show a timestamp of the most recent update.
After a user generates a Share Item Location link in the Find My app on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac, the recipients will be able to view a website that shows a location of the item on an interactive map.
In the coming months, more than 15 airlines serving millions of people globally — including 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 Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, United, Virgin Atlantic, and Vueling — will begin accepting Find My item locations as part of their customer service process for locating mishandled or delayed bags. More airlines will be added over time.
David Kinzelman, United’s chief customer officer said “We know many of our customers are already traveling with AirTag in their checked bags, and this feature will soon make it easier for them to share location information with us safely and securely, helping our customer service agents work more efficiently and giving our customers added peace of mind. We plan to accept Find My item locations in select airports initially, with the goal of introducing the service systemwide in early 2025.”
This cutting-edge solution, developed by Apple and in partnership with Delta Air Lines, will enable us to locate items more efficiently and effectively reported Erik Snell, Delta Air Lines’ senior vice president of Airport Customer Service, Cargo Operations, Ground Support Equipment, and Global Clean.
Additionally, SITA, a leader in air transport technology, will build support for Share Item Location into WorldTracer, the baggage-tracing system used by over 500 airlines and ground handlers at more than 2,800 airports around the world.
With this added functionality, there is really no reason not to buy AirTags for your travels, especially with the reduced prices with Black Friday coming.