Airline lost your bag? Tracking it might be about to get easier

By Julia Buckley, CNN

(CNN) — Lost luggage is one of the major woes of the modern travel era, with rates of mishandled bags still up since the start of the pandemic. And while many passengers are taking matters into their own hands, putting tracking devices into their checked luggage so they can see where they are, there’s just one major problem: The airlines often don’t want to know.

When American Airlines and British Airways lost mountain biker Barry Sherry’s bicycle en route to the Swiss Alps in 2023, he showed airport staff in Zurich the exact location of his bike — but they were unable to do anything with it.

But should Sherry be so unlucky on a future trip, he might just score an easier recovery.

Travelers using Apple AirTags may be able to give third-party access to tracking information in the future — allowing airports and airlines to hunt for bags in real time.

A new third-party sharing option has appeared in beta versions of Apple’s new iOS operating system, according to reports from those who have seen it.

That means it’s likely to be rolled out across the board in the future. Apple has not responded to CNN’s request for confirmation or comment.

But travelers wanting their bags back will still have to move fast – the shareable tracking option is currently only available for a week.

The updated Find My app has the ability to “share item location,” creating a link that can be sent to a third party, even if they’re not using an Apple device. That means staff at airport desk and in airline call centers could see the live location from their own computer networks.

Another new option, Show Contact Info, will allow for a “lost” item to connect to any phone or tablet, and share its owner’s information.

The link will also expire once the owner is reunited with their device.

Of course, expect that where Apple leads, other brands will follow. So even if you don’t have an Apple device, it might not be too long before your Tile, Eufy or Knog Scout can do the same thing.

Will it improve airlines’ rates at reuniting passengers with their bags? Only time will tell.

In 2023, airlines lost an average of 6.9 bags per 1,000 passengers, according to SITA, which offers solutions for the aviation industry. That’s an improvement on 2022, which saw a whopping 7.6 bags lost per 1,000 passengers — but still well up on pre-pandemic numbers. In 2019, 5.6 bags were lost per 1,000 flyers.

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