Apple Air tags for cruise (Air) travel??

[CrazyTrain2]

Does anyone use Apple Air tags or Tiles to track their bags, or other valuables??

 

Does it help for recovery??  Talking to the Airline for missing bags?

 

Every travel disaster is rolling through my head as we have a cruise with several people coming into NYC from all over the country.  Just trying to reduce risk.

[KeithJenner]

I bought some AirTags specifically for this reason. The main thing for us is knowing quickly that the bags are in the correct airport. In the past we have been hanging around the luggage collection when a bag was in a different airport, and also when it was with us but was late getting in the belt. Just knowing for sure that it is there is a huge benefit in cases like that. If a bag does end up in the wrong place we will know very quickly so that you can report it missing and get on.

 

Because of Covid we have only had one opportunity to try them out. We were able to confirm that the bags had arrived with us within 5-10 minutes of landing, and some time before they arrived on the luggage collection. It was very good to get that confirmed.

 

As a small additional benefit, we also knew when the bags had come out without having to stand in the scrum of people, which made that a nicer experience.

 

Overall I think they are worth the money. We keep them in a rucksack (or similar) in everyday use. They haven't been needed yet, but it doesn't hurt to have them.

Edited June 20, 2022 by KeithJenner

[HBCcruiser]

23 minutes ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

Does anyone use Apple Air tags or Tiles to track their bags, or other valuables??

 

Does it help for recovery??  Talking to the Airline for missing bags?

 

Every travel disaster is rolling through my head as we have a cruise with several people coming into NYC from all over the country.  Just trying to reduce risk.

Yes. They work like a charm. 

[flaminog]

Put one in each of our large suitcases. They work well to track them in the terminal but when our phones are on ship wifi or off they don't work well. 

[bookbabe]

DH wouldn’t bother, but I like using them so that I know our bags made it to our current location (ie destination airport).  We’ve never had to use them for actually tracking lost luggage, but I like them for the peace of mind.

[Candy Apple 12]

AirTags were helpful when one of our luggages decided to spend the night gambling in Las Vegas on our way back from our recent cruise. While waiting for our luggage to appear on the carousel I used the Find My app and noticed one luggage had not made the second flight with us. This saved us time because I could immediately go to the lost luggage desk and show them exactly where my luggage was. It was late at night, but the luggage was located and returned to our airport the next morning. I picked it up that day and now have $150 to use for our next flight. They could have delivered it to me, but I knew we could use the flight credit. If it had been delayed on our outgoing flight, I would have let the airline deliver it. Delayed luggage is one reason we like to fly in a day or two early and always mix and match clothing items so no one arrives without clean clothing.

[graphicguy]

AIRTAGS…..I put one in my main suitcase, one in my backpack, and have a travel wallet that has room to tuck one in.

 

Helps when the airlines “misplace” your checked bags, when someone attempted to steal my wallet at the airport (yes, quickly recovered by security), and/or if someone tries to lift your backpack if you sit it down and turn away for a second

[phillygwm]

3 hours ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

Does anyone use Apple Air tags or Tiles to track their bags, or other valuables??

I do, though I've thankfully not tested it with a "real life" crisis.

 

The Air Tags work on Bluetooth technology.  It isn't foolproof if it isn't near something with a signal but I get alerts when my bags are on the move (i.e. checked luggage.)  So conceptually, it works.

[JennKach]

My daughter borrowed my backpack with my tag still in it.  She was notified there was a tag following her and she thought she was being stalked lol.  I was also getting notifications that my bag wasn't with me.  It worked pretty well when we were on vacation, but it's not always accurate.  We freaked a bit when we landed and it said the bag was still at our home airport.  Eventually it communicated the correct location.

[kochleffel]

There was some discussion of Air Tags in another message thread, probably a bit more than a month go, about baggage that never made it onto the ship. Basically, they work if an i-device (any i-device, not necessarily yours) with Bluetooth enabled is nearby.

[Samstress]

I love ours.  My main concern when travelling through a busy airport is knowing my luggage has made it onto the plane.  And my Air Tags let me know that I can sit back and relax on the flight because my luggage is onboard!

[dobiemom]

Article from The Points Guy. 

[Ashland]

Will they work with my iPhone 7 ?

[FlyerTalker]

You folks do know that the major carriers have baggage tracking built into their phone apps?  The app reports on all of the scans of the bag tags, as they are put on and off of aircraft.

[RTR 21-0]

This is a great idea for a little extra peace of mind especially traveling internationally.  Do you put them in the front pocket of suitcase or place on top of clothes in the main section or does it matter?  

[CrazyTrain2]

On 6/21/2022 at 3:39 PM, FlyerTalker said:

You folks do know that the major carriers have baggage tracking built into their phone apps?  The app reports on all of the scans of the bag tags, as they are put on and off of aircraft.

But the airline apps will not track a baggage on the "move" when they get stolen or sit on the tarmac.  

[CrazyTrain2]

27 minutes ago, RTR 21-0 said:

This is a great idea for a little extra peace of mind especially traveling internationally.  Do you put them in the front pocket of suitcase or place on top of clothes in the main section or does it matter?  

Since the tags work with Bluetooth as long as your bag is not too metallic (Faraday cage effect), putting the tag INSIDE the bag is preferable since it cannot accidentally or intentionally be removed.  You do not need any fancy holders, just drop it into a pocket.

 

 

[FlyerTalker]

4 minutes ago, CrazyTrain2 said:

But the airline apps will not track a baggage on the "move" when they get stolen or sit on the tarmac.  

 

If it gets stolen, the thief will dispose of the tag.  Probably put it into a taxi, driving all over town.

 

If sitting in an airport, you'll know that because it came off a flight, was scanned, and didn't get relogged elsewhere.