Apple is making it even easier to use an AirTag to track down lost luggage by allowing users to temporarily share the location of their tag with a third party, such as an airline or airport. Travellers have been packing Apple’s tracking devices into their luggage since the product launched in 2021, using them to keep tabs on checked baggage during air travel.

Share Item Location – Apple

Apple’s “Share Item Location”, a new iOS feature that helps users locate and recover misplaced items by easily and securely sharing the location of an AirTag or Find My network accessory with third parties such as airlines.

Share Item Location is available now in most regions worldwide as part of the public beta of iOS 18.2, which will soon be available to all users as a free software update for iPhone Xs and later. Find My is built with privacy and safety at its core. The shared location will be disabled as soon as a user is reunited with their item, can be stopped by the owner at any time, and will automatically expire after seven days.

“Find My is an essential tool for users around the world to keep track of and find their belongings,” said Eddy Cue, Apple’s senior vice president of Services. “The Find My network and AirTag have proven to be a powerful combination for users while traveling, providing invaluable location information when bags have been misplaced or mishandled. 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.”

Users can generate a Share Item Location link in the Find My app on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac. Recipients of a link will be able to view a website that shows a location of the item on an interactive map. The website will automatically update when a new location is available and will show a timestamp of the most recent update.

Airlines Upgrading for Apple AirTag Service

But while travellers can pinpoint the location of bags with the devices, they’ve sometimes struggled to convey its exact location to airline and airport staff who can retrieve the bags from secure areas or distant airports.

The Lufthansa Group is upgrading its baggage-tracing protocol by introducing the new service that integrates Apple AirTag location data into its system, allowing passengers to share the location of their lost luggage directly with the airline. The feature is now available across Lufthansa, SWISS, Austrian Airlines, Brussels Airlines, and Eurowings, making the German airline group one of the latest carriers to enhance baggage tracking capabilities through digital innovations.

With the new system, Lufthansa passengers can now share AirTag data directly through the airline’s digital baggage tracing channels, allowing for quicker intervention by airline staff.

Oliver Schmitt, Head of Lufthansa Group’s Digital Hangar, stated, “Thanks to our app and website, passengers can now find solutions quickly and easily in the event of irregularities. The integration of our customers’ AirTag data opens up additional possibilities for us to act more efficiently and quickly.”

Apple’s “Share Item Location” feature allows travellers to generate a link that can be shared with airlines or airport staff. This feature will enable non-Apple users, including baggage handling services, to access an AirTag’s last known location via a web-based map.

Lufthansa’s adoption of this technology aligns with broader industry trends. United Airlines has updated its app to allow AirTag data sharing, while Qantas has become the first Australian airline to integrate the feature.

Delta, British Airways, and other major carriers are also in the process of implementing similar measures, as baggage tracking remains a significant issue for global travellers.

SITA and WorldTracer

Beyond individual airlines, SITA—a technology provider for over 500 airlines and ground handlers—has integrated AirTag support into its WorldTracer baggage management system, further expanding the technology’s reach.

While the Lufthansa Group’s move marks a step forward in baggage tracking transparency, it remains to be seen how effectively airlines will use this data in real-time recovery efforts. Many passengers continue to voice concerns about airline responsiveness when bags are lost, despite having access to precise location data.

As more airlines adopt Apple’s tracking integration, the question remains: Will this new technology lead to tangible improvements in baggage handling, or will it merely add another layer of digital oversight without real operational changes?

Travel smarter with a QR code for your suitcase - Create a free account

QRtrav helps to reduce lost luggage issues for international travellers by offering a free QR code tagging solution for suitcases and personal items.

Setting up your free QRtrav profile ID, downloading your QR code, printing and attaching it to your luggage or personal belongings takes no time at all. To get started - Create a free account

Find out more about our company - About our QR code travel service