American Airlines now lets you track your luggage with AirTags – here's how

One of the world’s biggest airlines is making it a little easier to track down your lost luggage.

Last fall, Apple introduced “Share Item Location,” a feature that lets you share the location of an AirTag or Find My accessory with someone else. Apple partnered with a number of airlines, including Air Canada, British Airways, Delta Air Lines, Lufthansa, and United, to incorporate this feature into official customer service protocols.

Also: Finally, Bluetooth trackers for Android users that function even better than AirTags

One more big name is now on that list.

Share with American Airlines

In the “View From the Wing” blog, American Airlines said that it has introduced the ability for customers to securely share the location of their AirTag or Find My network accessory directly with an airline customer service representative.

“Customers can generate a link through Apple’s Share Item feature, available on iOS 18.2 or later,” American Airlines explained. “They can share it with American in the rare case when a bag is delayed on any trips with a segment from or to a US airport.” All you need to do is scan a QR code at the baggage office to start the claim process.

Lost bags are relatively uncommon in the airline industry, with more than 99% of items reaching their destination safely. Still, a recent Air Travel Consumer Report shows that American Airlines mishandles about 40,000 bags a month (out of 8.6 million), so it’s not a bad idea to slip an AirTag into your luggage for a little extra security.

Also: How to find out if an AirTag is tracking you – and what to do about it

When the feature was first announced, Apple explained that only a small number of people will be able to see each link. Link recipients will have to authenticate to see the item’s location with either an Apple account or a partner email address. Location sharing will automatically turn off when you get your bag back, but you can stop it yourself at any time. 

Sharing will stop after seven days, no matter what.