United and Air Canada can now use Apple AirTags to track lost luggage

Just in time for vacation travel and potentially lost luggage, a new feature that allows Apple AirTag owners to share the location of a lost item is now integrated into the customer service systems of two major airlines. United and Air Canada are the first launch partners for Apple’s “Find My Share Item Location” feature, which allows a person carrying an AirTag or other item connected to the Find My network to use Apple’s Find app My share of lost places. something with an airline’s customer service program to speed up the process of finding lost or delayed baggage.

The feature, now available with Apple’s iOS 18.2 app for iPhone, iPadOS 18.2 for iPad, and macOS 15.2 for Mac, allows customers to create a Share Item Location link within the Find My app. The customer can share that link with customer service personnel tasked with helping to locate missing bags.

The extension is found in one of the most popular use cases of AirTags. Buyers then use small tracking devices to see where their luggage is when they travel. In one recent incident, AirTag indicated that a lost bag was inside the airport, but United told the customer it wasn’t — even telling them their plan didn’t go through AirTags. The customer’s luggage ended up traveling 30 kilometers, leading the customer to believe that the employee had stolen the bag. Now, those types of incidents shouldn’t be too common, since United will, in fact, officially use AirTag locations as part of its customer service efforts.

Apple says the generated links are secure and private, and the location sharing feature will automatically end when the customer is reunited with their lost wallet. Location sharing can also be stopped by the customer at any time. In addition, the link will expire after 7 days, which will give the airline more time to receive and return the luggage. The process is also end-to-end encrypted so no one else, including device manufacturers, will be able to access the device’s location or other personal information.

Many airlines already offer baggage tracking systems in their systems, making AirTags a supplement to their existing systems. The AirTag facility, however, can be used if the airline’s baggage tracking system is incorrect.

While United and Air Canada are the first to support the feature, Apple says other airline partners are on the way. Earlier, the iPhone maker said it had nearly 20 airlines lined up to join its program, including Aer Lingus, 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, Virgin Atlantic, and Vueling.