Apple has introduced a new Share Item Location feature which allows you to share your AirTag location with third-party companies and airlines. The feature is now available as a Beta with iOS 18.2.
AirTag is a nifty little accessory which has helped users including Malaysians locate their missing bags or even stolen vehicles. Although users can currently share an AirTag with their trusted contacts, the new Share Item Location is designed to share your AirTag with third parties to help locate your missing items.
With the feature, the AirTag owner can send a link which is limited to a small number of people. The recipients will be required to authenticate to view the link from their Apple account or email address.
In the coming months, over 15 airlines including 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 will begin accepting Find My item locations as part of their customer service process to locate mishandled or delayed bags. More airlines are expected to adopt the feature over time.
Apple has worked with several airlines to put systems in place to privately and securely accept Share Item Location, which will leverage hundreds of thousands of Apple devices that many airlines use.
United’s Chief Customer Office David Kinzelman said, “We know many of our customers are already travelling with AirTag in their checked bags, and this feature will soon make it easier for them to share location information with us safely and securely, helping our customer service agents work more efficiently and giving our customers added peace of mind. We plan to accept Find My item locations in select airports initially, with the goal of introducing the service systemwide in early 2025.”
Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines’ Senior Vice President of Airport Customer Service, Cargo Operations, Ground Support Equipment, and Global Clean Erik Snell said, “While more than 99 percent of checked items make it to their destination as planned, we know how stressful it can be for customers when they don’t. That’s why we’re excited to support Share Item Location beginning later this year.”
He added, “It will provide our team with extra visibility to reunite those items with their owners. This cutting-edge solution, developed by Apple and in partnership with Delta Air Lines, will enable us to locate items more efficiently and effectively.”
Additionally, SITA, a leader in air transport technology, will build support for Share Item Location into WorldTracer, the baggage-tracing system used by over 500 airlines and ground handlers at more than 2,800 airports around the world.
SITA’s director of Baggage Nicole Hogg said, “As the leading industry provider for end-to-end baggage management solutions, and with global passenger traffic set to double by 2040, airports and airlines worldwide will face important challenges. This collaboration with Apple will make it easy for airlines that use our industry-leading WorldTracer solution to implement Share Item Location for more efficient baggage management, and will be a huge benefit for passengers.”
