Apple announces the signing of an agreement with 15 major airlines, but not yet Air France, to allow a passenger who is the victim of a lost suitcase to share the tracking of their AirTag from the Locate application.
With the iOS 18.2 update, scheduled for release in December, Apple will allow owners of AirTag trackers to share the location of an object with a loved one, using a link. The location of a vehicle, keys or wallet can thus be briefly shared, to allow a third party to find it. As a reminder, the AirTag is a small tracker that allows you to locate an object by connecting to all surrounding iPhones.
In addition to this sharing between individuals, Apple plans to partner with airlines to streamline the process of locating a lost suitcase. WorldTracer, the software used by 500 airlines and 2,800 airports, which collaborate with each other when baggage is lost, will natively integrate Apple’s Find My technology.
15 airlines associated with Apple
When a passenger reports a lost suitcase to an airline, it reports it in the WorldTracer software. The airports concerned provide as much information as possible in order to identify the route of the baggage, in the hope of finding it and transporting it to the correct destination.
Some companies already ask their passengers if they have information using an AirTag or a third-party Bluetooth tracker, but they must rely on information communicated by the passenger, without real-time updates .
At the start of 2025, around fifteen airlines will join Apple in its fight against lost luggage. The brand announces the signing of a contract with 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. Air France is not on the list, but KLM, its partner, is. We imagine that she will quickly join the program.
From the WorldTracer software, staff from these companies will be able to add an Apple Find My link, to track the location of an AirTag in real time. If it is located somewhere, the company will be alerted, collect it and send it to the recipient. This partnership will allow Apple to secure access to the link, so that only designated airline staff can access the location (the link will not be openable by a third party). Technically speaking, it will also be possible to share a clear link to anyone, such as a non-Apple partner company or a police officer, for the same purpose.
In the press release published by Apple on November 11, the companies recall that 99% of baggage arrives at its destination. The promotion of AirTags, which will undoubtedly be offered at airline points of sale, aims to find the missing 1% more quickly. It is possible that airlines will then partner with Google, Samsung or Tile, to offer equivalent integration. In any case, they have everything to gain, even if Apple is the first to have succeeded in such a partnership.
