Airline lost your luggage? This new Apple feature could help find it

A new Apple feature might help an airline find your lost luggage faster.

In an announcement on Monday, Apple introduced “Share Item Location,” a feature that lets you share the location of an AirTag or Find My accessory with a third party — including airlines. Location sharing will automatically turn off when the user gets their item back, but the owner can manually stop it anytime. Sharing will expire after seven days, no matter what.

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Here’s how it works.

If something that has an AirTag or Apple device inside goes missing, you can generate a Share Item Location link through the Find My app on your iPhone, Mac, or iPad. Anyone who clicks on that link will be able to see the missing device on a map, along with a timestamp of the most recent update.

Over the next several months, Apple will partner with more than a dozen airlines to incorporate Share Item Location into the official customer service process for finding missing bags. This list includes 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. 

Apple plans to add more airlines over time, it says.

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If you’re concerned about security, only a small number of people will be able to see each link, Apple explains. Recipients will have to authenticate in order to view the link through either their Apple Account or a partner email address. That means not just anyone can see your link — at least through official customer service portals.

In addition, the Société Internationale de Télécommunications Aéronautique, one of the world’s leading air transport technology companies, will be incorporating Share Item Location into WorldTracer, the main baggage tracking system used by more than 500 airlines at 2,800 airports around the world.