QANTAS: Working with Apple to ‘Find My’ luggage through shared location

The new version of the Apple iOS, v 18.2 allows users to share a secure link with the location of an AirTag with others, including airlines — well, in the near future.

Find My, your luggage

The changes to the ‘Find My’ app mean you can easily share the location of an AirTag in your luggage with the airline you are travelling with. That sharing ability comes with the usual Apple standards of privacy and safety. This includes disabling the feature as soon as an item is reunited with its owner. Alternatively, it will deactivate the link within 7 days.

“With Share Item Location, we’re excited to give users a new way to easily share this information directly with third parties like airlines, all while protecting their privacy.”

Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services

Generating a location link in Find My

You can generate a link in the Find My app on your Mac device, such as an iPhone, iPad, or Mac. The link will automatically update the item’s location on an interactive map.

This facility is in the beta phase but will be rolled out to more than 15 airlines, including Qantas.

Other airlines participating in the project are 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 is insisting the link generated will only be shared with a limited number of people at the airline, with authentication required.

Airline cooperation

Airlines are cooperating with the technology. They see it as providing an additional service to customers, allowing airline staff to deal with luggage issues more effectively. This is a recognition of many passengers’ current behaviour and use of AirTags.

United Airlines hopes to have the system working across its network by early 2025. IAG, the owner of airlines such as Aer Lingus, British Airways, Iberia, and Vueling, sees it as an innovative solution. They believe it will help ensure checked bags reach their intended destination. IAG hopes to introduce it across its airlines later in 2025.

WorldTracer is software used by SITA, an air transport technology company. They are also on board with the Apple ‘Find My’ system.

The advantage of the Find My network is that it is crowd-sourced. It uses Apple devices and Bluetooth wireless technology to detect devices with an AirTag, in this case luggage. The system is end-to-end encrypted and therefore anonymous. That gives security and privacy to the Apple location service.

2PAXfly Takeout

This is great news since when AirTags were initially introduced, airlines such as Lufthansa and ANA rejected the technology. They ruled that carrying the devices was contrary to regulations. Although these decisions were quickly reversed, they set up Apple and airlines in opposition. It’s good to see that cooperation with this consumer-beneficial technology has become the default position.

At least now, those airlines have come to their senses.