Suitcase gone, AirTag in: Airlines hope for more efficient baggage tracking
iPhone users will soon be able to share their AirTag location temporarily, e.g. with airlines. Lufthansa & Co are hoping for a more efficient search for luggage
(Image: Sebastian Trepesch)
A new AirTags function has obviously found favor with airlines. A good 15 airlines want to set up special processes in the coming months to track lost luggage via AirTags released by passengers, as Apple announced on Monday. Among those on board are Lufthansa, British Airways, Iberia, Eurowings, Swiss International Air Lines and Turkish Airlines.
The airlines are therefore preparing their customer service with new systems to support a function that Apple will soon be bringing to iPhones via a software update. The "hundreds of thousands of Apple devices" that "many airlines already have in use" will also be used for this purpose, as Apple emphasized.
AirTags: Shareable tracking link available from iOS 18.2
As of iOS 18.2, users can temporarily share the location of trackers compatible with Apple's "Where is?" network with third parties – via a link that can be easily shared. This is valid for up to 7 days, after which the sharing ends automatically. The AirTag location can already be shared with others, but the sensitive function has so far only been designed to be shared with partners, family or close friends.
Access to the new function will be "limited to a small number of people" at the airlines, according to the press release. A recipient of the tracking link – in this case an employee of the airline – must also authenticate themselves to view the location. The operators hope that this will increase efficiency in handling customer inquiries about missing luggage. This would allow them to "more effectively locate" the suitcases etc. they are looking for.
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Precise localization in busy regions
AirTags and Bluetooth trackers from other manufacturers that support Apple's "Where is?" network can be located via the "Where is?" app. Practically every iPhone detects such objects in the vicinity and forwards the location to Apple servers via end-to-end encryption –, where the owner can then retrieve the position. In cities, this sometimes works with an accuracy of just a few meters. iOS 18.2 is expected to be released to the public at the beginning of December; the new version of the operating system is already in beta testing.
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