Apple taps Delta, United, other major airlines to help track luggage with AirTags, Find My technology

Using an AirTag to track luggage has been a popular tip from travel experts and influencers for years, but now some major airlines will work directly with Apple and use the geolocation technology to pinpoint missing items.

More than 15 airlines including British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Qantas, United, Virgin Atlantic and more global carriers will "begin accepting Find My item locations as part of their customer service process for locating mishandled or delayed bags," Apple announced Monday.

Apple stated that "more airlines will be added over time."

In a statement to ABC News, United said it "plan[s] to accept Find My item locations in select airports initially, with the goal of introducing the service system wide in early 2025."

Delta Air Lines, meanwhile, said the company is "excited to support share item location beginning later this year."

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Additional airlines partnering with Apple to use the technology include Aer Lingus, Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, Eurowings, Iberia, KLM Royal Dutch Airlines, Lufthansa, Singapore Airlines, Swiss International Air Lines, Turkish Airlines, and Vueling.

How Apple AirTags work with airlines to track missing luggage

The Points Guy founder and avid air traveler Brian Kelly, who regularly advises putting AirTags in luggage, explained that as things currently stand, without airline involvement, "you might know where your bag is, but the airline couldn't take that information, at least not in real time."

The airlines partnering with Apple will now be able to use GPS data to track down missing luggage using a passenger's secure Share Item Location link. Links are generated in the Find My app on a person's iPhone and are then used by the carrier's customer service team to see the AirTag location.

"Recipients of a link will be able to view a website that shows a location of the item on an interactive map," Apple explained in a press release. "The website will automatically update when a new location is available and will show a timestamp of the most recent update."

The announcement comes as airlines like Delta are starting to offer more precise and real-time luggage updates directly in their apps.

However, with existing tracking technology, Kelly said that "even if your bag gets to the airport, often the airlines are so understaffed that you may not know that your bag is there."

"Knowing exactly where in the world your bag is [with Find My technology] can help reduce the amount of time it is until you're reunited with that bag," he added.