Air Travelers in Latin America Now Enable Real-Time Luggage Monitoring Using AirTags
In a significant move to improve baggage handling and reduce the stress of lost luggage for passengers, more than 30 airlines have now integrated Apple's AirTag location sharing for baggage tracking. This includes United Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Saudi Airlines, and LATAM, among others.
The new feature, which works via Apple's Find My network, allows continuous updates to the location of tagged luggage as long as an Apple device is online. The shared tracking link is secure, temporary (expires after 7 days), and can be manually stopped at any time after luggage recovery.
Besides LATAM, United, Singapore Airlines, and Saudi Airlines, at least 26 other airlines support AirTag-based luggage location sharing. These include American Airlines, Ajet, Air Canada, Air India, Air New Zealand, Aer Lingus, Breeze Airlines, British Airways, Brussels Airlines, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, Delta Airlines, Finnair, Iberia, JetBlue, KLM, Lufthansa Group (including Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Lufthansa, and Swiss), Porter Airlines, Qantas, Sun Express, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, and Vueling.
This totals 30 airlines currently supporting AirTag-based luggage location sharing, enabling passengers to share live tracking links with the airline's baggage services. The program is available with iOS 18.2 and later, iPadOS 18.2, and macOS 15.2 and above.
The new luggage tracking feature is a relatively low-cost upgrade compared to rebuilding baggage-handling infrastructure. It could potentially allow airlines to know the location of bags before passengers start imagining them lost. For instance, United Airlines has seen a 15% boost in recovery rates since adopting the luggage tracking feature.
While the majority of LATAM's passengers can't use the AirTag luggage tracking system due to low iPhone adoption rates in Latin America, integrating support for tracking tags from brands like Tile, Chipolo, and Samsung, which are compatible with Android's "Find My Device" network, can extend the service to a wider portion of LATAM's passenger base.
This new feature is a promising step towards reducing the estimated 33 million bags that are mishandled globally each year. For LATAM Airlines, which already runs about 50% better than the average in terms of mishandled bags, even a 1% improvement means thousands fewer headaches for their customers.
[1] Apple Support - AirTag and items not in the Find My network [2] TechCrunch - More than 30 airlines now support Apple AirTag location sharing for baggage tracking [3] Apple - AirTag and items not in the Find My network [4] The Verge - Apple's AirTag is now compatible with baggage tracking on over 30 airlines
- As more airlines like United Airlines, Singapore Airlines, Saudi Airlines, and LATAM integrate Apple's AirTag location sharing, it seems that a shift towards using smartphone technology, such as smartphones and gadgets, for enhancing lifestyle elements like travel, is becoming increasingly prevalent.
- The increasing adoption of AirTag-based luggage tracking by airlines like American Airlines, Ajet, Air Canada, and others, indicates a fusion of lifestyle and technology, making travel less stressful and more efficient through the use of advanced smart devices and enhancements in services.
