There’s nothing worse than an airline losing your baggage at the start of your vacation but Apple AirTags could be the answer. This new technology could speed up the process of finding it again. Lufthansa, Austrian and SWISS are turning to Apple AirTags to help in the search, meaning a bag can reunite with its owner faster.
Apple AirTags to help find lost baggage
Some years ago when traveling to Cape Town, South Africa, another guest picked up my bag from the hotel’s luggage room, leading to it taking a world tour without me. In that case, owning a dark red suitcase was the problem as his bag was identical, and it took more than a week to return to me, carrying my entire Rennies Travel uniform. While I had fun wearing “civvies” for the week, it could have been worse.
Getting back to the subject of airlines losing baggage, and integrating new technology into baggage tracing, could mean lost bags being reunited with their owner before they spend too much vacation money on new clothing.
Lufthansa Group airlines, including Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings – are rolling out a new feature. From now on, the airlines will use the Apple AirTag tracking feature to help track down lost baggage.
How are Apple AirTags effective?
Meanwhile, if a traveler has an AirTag on their bag, the airlines will let you share the location of the Tag with them. This will make for an easier way to show them your baggage has not arrived as its destination. Meanwhile, Apple has made it even easier by introducing a feature that lets AirTag and FindMy network users generate a link to share their item’s location.
Oliver Schmitt, Head of the Lufthansa Group Digital Hangar said:
Thanks to our app and website, passengers can now find solutions quickly and easily in the event of irregularities.
Schmitt explained that integrating the traveler’s AirTag data has already improved baggage tracing. With this technology, airlines can track bags more efficiently and quickly.
Tero Taskila, CEO of beOnd, a Maldivian airline headquartered in Dubai, cited the airline’s post-flight surveys, saying, “Customers want bag tracking.” He added:
We plan to implement Apple AirTag in the second half of 2025 as it’s relatively simple for airlines to integrate this technology.
How does the technology work?
About the size of a large coin, Apple AirTags send out a Bluetooth signal that nearby devices in Apple’s Find My network can detect. The devices relay the location of the passenger’s AirTag to iCloud, allowing them to check its whereabouts in real-time on a map in the Find My app.
Passengers can now securely and privately share the location of their AirTag and bring that lost baggage home.
It’s best to use a traditional baggage tag alongside the AirTag and take a photo of your suitcase before you fly. With the combination of a clear image and AirTag technology, airline staff will quickly identify and return your bag.
Should your baggage not show up at the baggage reclaim, report it before you leave the airport and ensure you get details of who to contact should your baggage not arrive.
Find out more on the Apple website.