As any frequent traveller knows, Apple AirTags are invaluable for tracking bags, especially given how some airlines mishandle bags. The issue has been that while Apple AirTags can tell you where your bags are, airlines are on a different plane, given they do not have the same information and, hence, are not inclined to help passengers reunite with their bags.

However, in November 2024, Apple rolled out new updates that allowed those who use Apple AirTags to share information about lost/misplaced items with third parties, including airlines. Since then, many airlines have rolled out integration with AirTags, or are in the process of doing so. These include Aer Lingus, Air Canada, 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, United, Virgin Atlantic, and Vueling. Now, Air India is joining the list.

Apple’s Find My Feature

Share Item Location is a recent iOS feature that helps users locate and recover misplaced items by easily and securely sharing the location of an AirTag or Find My network accessory with third parties such as airlines.

Apple introduced Share Item Location, a new iOS feature that helps users locate and recover misplaced items by easily and securely sharing the location of an AirTag or Find My network accessory with third parties such as airlines. Share Item Location is available in most regions worldwide as part of iOS 18.2 and onwards, and it is available to all users as a free software update for iPhone Xs and later. Find My is built with privacy and safety at its core. 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.

Air India is now using this technology to process delayed bags.

Air India has announced that customers can now securely share the location of an AirTag or Find My network accessory with customer service agents through the Air India app for faster bag recovery. This could help the customers whose bags arrive on a later flight. Air India is the first airline in Asia to offer this integrated tracking service to its guests.

The integration builds upon the baggage tracking feature Air India offers on its mobile app and website, leveraging real-time information from airports to keep guests informed. For customers who have added their flight to the “My Trips” section of the app, baggage information becomes automatically available soon after the bags are checked in, as well as on the “Track my Bags” tab of the website. Passengers can also scan the barcode on their baggage receipts to initiate tracking.

Here’s how Air India’s Chief Digital and Technology Officer, Dr Satya Ramaswamy, describes this development:

At Air India we continue to innovate and introduce cutting-edge digital capabilities as part of our customer-centric approach. As we transform into a world-class global airline, we are excited to offer our guests an innovative option to help locate their baggage in case it does not arrive at the destination on schedule. We are confident that our guests will find the baggage location capability offered using Apple’s AirTag and Share Item Location feature along with Air India’s real-time baggage-tracking system on its website and mobile app quite helpful.

Air India describes how the AirTag integration works here.

Bottomline

Apple AirTags are becoming much more helpful. They won’t just be valuable for tracking your bags; they’ll also be beneficial for airlines to track them when they are misplaced or lost. This is entirely voluntary and built with security in mind. Air India is now rolling out this technology, and I’m delighted to see it. With this move, AI becomes the first Asian airline to implement the feature.

What do you make of being able to share Apple AirTag locations with airlines?

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