I lost my luggage, so now I'm buying an AirTag

AirTag held in hand
(Image credit: Joseph Keller / iMore)

I had a lovely vacation last week in Berlin, filled with culture, lots of walking, and kebabs. It was awesome - until I lost my luggage coming home.

After flight cancellations led to a new route from Berlin to Edinburgh with a one-hour stopover in Paris, the risk of my baggage getting stuck in Paris was high. So after two days of wearing the same socks, I’m heading to the Apple Store to buy an AirTag for the first time.

As my partner and I checked in our baggage for the return flight home, we watched a guy zip open his 20kg suitcase to throw in an Apple AirTag. My girlfriend turned to me and said, “That’s a great idea. We should do that.” I naively replied, “What’s the point? If it gets lost in transit, we’ll find it soon enough.” As usual, I jumped the gun.

While having an AirTag in our luggage would’ve made little difference, it would’ve made enough difference to make our life that little bit easier and stress-free. So here’s why losing my luggage convinced me to finally buy an AirTag.

Why you should throw an AirTag in your luggage

Let’s take my experience as an example. I got my baggage back two days after landing back in Edinburgh, so why would an AirTag have made any difference? Well, it wouldn’t matter in this scenario, but it would’ve meant that we didn’t have to wait until everyone had left the Baggage Reclaim area to know that our bag wouldn’t be home with us that same evening.

We landed back in Edinburgh at 11 PM, so any time saved would’ve been massively appreciated rather than waiting an extra hour to make sure my underwear, socks, and toothbrush weren’t across the English Channel in the French capital.

Having an AirTag would’ve also eased our minds, knowing for absolute certain that our luggage had missed the flight rather than got on the wrong plane, akin to Home Alone 2. Most of all, however, the pure ease of use that comes with the AirTag made me realize there was no reason not to throw the little white puck into any piece of luggage traveling overseas.

AirTags save the day

There have been so many negative stories about AirTags since they first released in 2021, including reports of stalking, theft, and other nasties. Yet, this little piece of equipment has so many possibilities for good using Apple’s Find My network. Not only can an AirTag help track your keys or luggage, but it has proven to be a lifesaver for lost dogs, as long as your dog doesn’t swallow the tiny piece of plastic.

After my flying fiasco and losing this particular bag for the second time since owning it, I now think it’s time to bite the bullet and buy a $29 AirTag. Not only are they easy to use, but work with some of the best accessories for Airtags to give you different utilities, such as a  personalized tracking device or even a dog collar.

I almost feel stupid not to have jumped on the AirTag train sooner to make my life easier, especially when it comes to travel. As Einstein once said, “Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting different results.” So if I don’t buy an AirTag and lose my luggage for the third time, then I’m the only one to blame. 

The Apple ecosystem is one of the major selling points of purchasing Apple products, allowing your technology to work together to make your life easier. AirTags are a great addition to that concept and are a simple way to add whatever you frequently lose into the Find My app. After this week, I’ll never fly without one again.

John-Anthony Disotto
How To Editor

John-Anthony Disotto is the How To Editor of iMore, ensuring you can get the most from your Apple products and helping fix things when your technology isn’t behaving itself. Living in Scotland, where he worked for Apple as a technician focused on iOS and iPhone repairs at the Genius Bar, John-Anthony has used the Apple ecosystem for over a decade and prides himself in his ability to complete his Apple Watch activity rings. John-Anthony has previously worked in editorial for collectable TCG websites and graduated from The University of Strathclyde where he won the Scottish Student Journalism Award for Website of the Year as Editor-in-Chief of his university paper. He is also an avid film geek, having previously written film reviews and received the Edinburgh International Film Festival Student Critics award in 2019.  John-Anthony also loves to tinker with other non-Apple technology and enjoys playing around with game emulation and Linux on his Steam Deck.

In his spare time, John-Anthony can be found watching any sport under the sun from football to darts, taking the term “Lego house” far too literally as he runs out of space to display any more plastic bricks, or chilling on the couch with his French Bulldog, Kermit. 

  • Annie_M
    Great article!!! It's good to see the AirTag getting positive coverage!!!
    Reply
  • Mystakill
    Our connecting flight was canceled on a recent trip. After several hours of back & forth with the baggage claim agents, they flat-out lied that my bag had been loaded onto a flight going nowhere near our destination. When I followed the baggage claim trail later, it turns out that the bag hadn't been loaded onto a plane until the next morning. I ended up having to submit a lost baggage claim & they finally got it to me 4 days later.

    If I'd had an AirTag (or one of my Chipolo Spots) in the bag, I would have pulled my phone out and showed them that it was still in the baggage area that they didn't want to walk back to, and waited until they got off of their lazy #$% to go get it.
    Reply
  • Annie_M
    Mystakill said:
    Our connecting flight was canceled on a recent trip. After several hours of back & forth with the baggage claim agents, they flat-out lied that my bag had been loaded onto a flight going nowhere near our destination. When I followed the baggage claim trail later, it turns out that the bag hadn't been loaded onto a plane until the next morning. I ended up having to submit a lost baggage claim & they finally got it to me 4 days later.

    If I'd had an AirTag (or one of my Chipolo Spots) in the bag, I would have pulled my phone out and showed them that it was still in the baggage area that they didn't want to walk back to, and waited until they got off of their lazy #$% to go get it.
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    Reply