Even if you’re not an Apple user, you’re probably familiar with Apple AirTags- an accessory that leverages billions of iPhones, iPads and other Apple devices on the Find My network to help locate lost items.
Of course, finding missing car keys is not the only use case for AirTags. Enterprising users quickly figured out they could be utilised to track a pet, stalk their ex, or find mishandled luggage.
And it’s that last off-label use which will soon become more official, with Apple announcing a new feature enabling customers to share their item location with Singapore Airlines and other participating carriers, potentially speeding up the return of a lost bag.
Apple users will be able to share item locations with airlines
Apple has introduced a new feature called Share Item Location that allows users to securely share the location of an AirTag or Find My network accessory with third parties such as airlines.
Share Item Location is now available in most regions worldwide as part of the public beta of iOS 18.2, and will soon be available to all users as a free software update for iPhone Xs and later.
In terms of safety precautions, the shared location will be disabled as soon as a user is reunited with their item, can be stopped by the owner at any time, and will automatically expire after seven days.
Moreover, Apple is working directly with partner airlines to implement systems to privately and securely accept Share Item Location. Access to each link will be limited to a small number of people, and recipients will be required to authenticate in order to view the link through their Apple Account or partner email address.
I’ve personally never had to use an AirTag to locate a lost bag, but I can understand the frustration that can arise when your knowledge about a situation exceeds your ability to do something about it. I mean, it’s one thing to have no idea where your bag is. It’s another thing entirely to know it, only for the airline to insist it’s not there, or take their own sweet time to find it.
This new feature can certainly help to expedite the process,ย though the extent to which customers see an improvement still boils down to how well the airline and its ground contractors put that information into action.
Which airlines will accept Share Item Location?
In addition to Singapore Airlines, the following carriers will begin accepting Share Item Locations as part of their customer service process for locating lost bags:
- Aer Lingus
- Air Canada
- Air New Zealand
- Austrian Airlines
- British Airways
- Brussels Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Eurowings
- Iberia
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Qantas
- Swiss International Air Lines
- Turkish Airlines
- United
- Virgin Atlantic
- Vueling
The list includes both full-service and low cost carriers, and it’s mildly amusing to see Lufthansa here, given their attempts to ban AirTags back in October 2022- a short-lived decision that was quickly reversed!
| ๐คฆ Lufthansa’s short-lived ban on AirTags |
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It was a strange fate that Lufthansa and its customers should suffer so much fear and doubt for something as small as an Apple AirTag. But suffer they did, because the German airline Lufthansa, seemingly misreading an International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO) regulation, positioned itself this week as the only major airline banning people from tracking their checked luggage with AirTags. A representative for the companyย tweeted Saturdayย that it was “banning activated AirTags,” following up Sunday that it was concerned the tiny CR2032 coin batteries and Bluetooth Low Energy (BLE) transmitters in Apple’s tracking devicesย could be considered “dangerous goods”ย under ICAO rules. Outcry, close reading of the relevant sections (part 2, section C) of ICAO guidelines, and accusations of ulterior motives immediately followed.ย AppleInsider notedย that the regulations are meant for lithium-ion batteries that could be accidentally activated; AirTag batteries are not lithium-ion, are encased, and are commonly used in watches, which have not been banned by any airline. The site also spoke with “multiple international aviation experts” who saw no such ban in ICAO regulations. One expert told the site the ban was “a way to stop Lufthansa from being embarrassed by lost luggage.” |
Singapore Airlines is the only Asian airline on the list for the moment, but Apple says that more carriers will be added soon.
Additionally, SITA will build support for Share Item Location into WorldTracer,ย which provides the baggage-tracing systems used by over 500 airlines and ground handlers at more than 2,800 airports worldwide
When will airlines start using this feature?
Timelines for implementation vary by airline, but from the press release we know that IAG (the parent company of British Airways, Iberia, Vueling, and Aer Lingus) is planning to implement the solution in late 2024.ย
Weโre always testing innovative solutions and enhancing our systems to ensure that checked bags reach their intended destination as quickly as possible, and we look forward to incorporating this solution into our lost baggage processes beginning later this year
-IAG Head of Innovation
United Airlines plans to roll out the service in early 2025.ย
โWe 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.ย
We plan to accept Find My item locations in select airports initially, with the goal of introducing the service systemwide in early 2025.โ
-United Airlines Chief Customer Officer
I’ve reached out to Singapore Airlines for a comment on their implementation timeline, as well as any plans to expand the service to Scoot.
| ๐ฌ Update: Comment from SIA spokesperson |
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Conclusion
In the coming months, Singapore Airlines and 14 other airlines will begin accepting Find My item locations as part of their baggage tracing process. This allows Apple users to temporarily share their AirTag locations, hopefully speeding up the reunion of passengers with their lost bags.
It remains to be seen how well airlines put this into practice, but more transparency in the process can only be a good thing.ย
