izint

Used my airtags last year to hawaii and and it worked out pretty for knowing the the luggage was with the plane.
But when waiting at the luggage area, it didn't show up until it was about to be out of on the conveyer belts. They do give me some piece of mind knowing that I at least have a chance of tracking it if it went missing, vs that not being an option at all

StuckInYYZ

This could be due to a whole number of reasons, however, I really don't understand why Apple doesn't develop beacons that could be put in strategic places that would pick up air tags and send an update. Put a few wired units in the bowels of the airport where the luggage is handled (you aren't necessarily guaranteed a signal in this area) and voila, you're helping your users. Hotels and shopping malls would also be good candidates for this. I have a few tags that I ask my parents and other elderly relatives to carry on them. They know what the tags are for and trust that I won't use them to trace them unless necessary. Luckily this hasn't been required, but for a little investment, I know how to find my loved ones and if I have to track them, and if there were beacons of some sort that would help, that'd be even better.

izint

That does seem to be quite useful, but maybe it is not worth the cost right now for them to invest in these beacons. Apple did post an article on their site on May 5 - Apple and Google lead initiative for an industry specification to address unwanted tracking. So maybe they are also waiting for more industry standardization or better cost-benefit for them to do it.

Davvidd

It also could be that the staff close to them may not have iPhones?

ckendall

But there is another possibility; even if you don't see the bags when you get off the plane, at least they are (I hope) no longer currently somewhere else. When I land, I always check the last time the bag was seen. If it was shortly before take-off, fine, the bag will likely turn up. If it has been seen at the departing airport a few minutes ago, I go directly to the delayed luggage queue.

StuckInYYZ

Pro-tip (not really). You can always take a walk through the length of the plane (within reason... don't annoy the other cabins) and if your phone has the UWB chip, it can trigger the airtag and you should have confirmation that the luggage is with you. It doesn't always work for some of the reasons above, but if you're lucky, you'll see your luggage nearby.

Watch this video.... will show you what I mean about if the tag is with you:

StuckInYYZ

Didn't see this. What Apple and Google are looking at is a software issue. The solution I'm proposing is a hardware one and something that would benefit others. It would also have a limited scope.

frappant

I have had an AirTag in my one check bag for the pat year or so.

Yeah it usually shows the departing airport as the last known location.

Then at the arriving airport, I�ve seen it at the gate where the plane is parked or not until it comes out to the carousel at baggage claim.

If it used Android phones as well, you�d expect a lot more tracking but it does pretty well considering that iPhones are minority market share in many places, especially outside the US.

Real test of course is when the bag is lost or left behind.

Davvidd

I would not say so. Lots of iPhones certainly in Asia. Especially the second hand market. I have always seen my bag in Asia before I see it. Sometimes I have seen it even when inside the aircraft and taxiing.

1200GS

Not my experience. I don't check my bag very often (maybe 1 out of every 5 flights, less if I can help it).

But when I do, I'll typically be standing at baggage claim, and "see" the bag somewhere on the runway, then somewhere in the terminal right before it pops out on the carousel. I just had an issue (posted in the Newark Terminal A thread about it), where my bag was delivered to another terminal than my arriving flight. The united app told me to go to the other terminal to get my bag, and my air confirmed the bag was happily waiting for me at Terminal A.

StuckInYYZ

That's the thing. Once it hits an airport, you're looking at massive concrete structures that are effectively giant faraday cages. So the airtag triggers a location request. But if it's inside the luggage distribution center, then any phone that receives the location request has to wait until it hits a cell or wifi signal (and possibly a GPS signal as well). And with all the wiring in the area, that'd have to be a pretty strong signal.

Craig6z

Woot.com has a sale on Airtag stick-on protective holders through September 19, made under license from Pelican:
__
With the coupon code: TECHY3, one protector is $1.99 and a four-pack is $5.99. Amazon Prime members pay no shipping:

https://electronics.woot.com/offers/...-airtag-holder

The four packs are currently listed on (US) for a rather inflated $34.99, and have over 4,400 ratings averaging 4.7.
_
_
_
_

DMSFCA

Thanks for this! I'm a total sucker for these kinds of things. You get another 6% off with Rakuten, too.