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

Arriving in time for holiday travel and potentially lost luggage, a new feature that allows Apple AirTag owners to share the location of a lost item is now integrated with 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 someone who travels with either an AirTag or other Find My network-connected accessory to use Apple’s Find My app to share the location of their lost item with the airline’s customer service system to speed up the process of locating lost or delayed luggage.

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

The addition capitalizes on one of AirTags’ more popular use cases. Consumers were already using the small tracking devices to see where their luggage was when traveling. In one recent case, the AirTag showed that a lost bag was inside the airport, but United told the customer it was not — even saying to them that their system didn’t go by AirTags. The customer’s luggage ended up then traveling 30 miles away, leading the customer to believe the employee stole the bag. Now, those types of incidents should be less common, as United will, in fact, officially use AirTag locations as part of its customer service efforts.

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

Many airlines already offer systems for tracking luggage in their apps, making AirTags more of a supplement to their existing systems. The AirTag location, however, could be used when the airline’s luggage tracking system has it wrong.

While United and Air Canada are the first to support the feature, Apple says other airline partners are on the way. Previously, the iPhone maker said it had nearly 20 airlines queued up to integrate with its system, 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.