We know that holiday travel can be stressful, to say the least. Planes and hotels will be full, long security lines are a guarantee, plus possible cancellations, massive crowds and plenty of other travel nightmares. But perhaps the most frustrating possibility is to find that your luggage has gone missing.
To prevent luggage panic, we’re big fans of adding Apple’s AirTag tracker to our bags, which uses Apple’s “Find My” network and Precision Finding technology to show you exactly where your items are at any given time.
The Apple AirTag is the perfect tool to bring on any trip. Its simplicity, functionality and size will ensure you never lose track of your bags while on the go. The peace of mind that your bags have made it on your trip is worth the reasonable price tag.
If you want to make sure the whole family is able to track their bags on your trip, consider a four-pack of AirTags.
How the AirTag works
The most important thing to know about the AirTag is that it operates on Apple’s Find My network. That’s the same network that powers Find My for all your Apple devices: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch, Apple Watch, AirPods and Mac. It’s a tool that makes it easy to track down exactly where your device is and even plays a tone for easy locating.
It’s also the sheer size of the network that gives the item tracker a leg up. The Find My network is made up of over a billion connected devices. So, as you’re walking around an airport and there’s an AirTag in your luggage, it can be pinged by devices that make up that network and pinpoint yours on a map. In our testing, it was more reliable and quicker to update than a competing Tile tracker.
Now, in a pretty dense area like an airport — say Newark Liberty International (EWR) or New York–Kennedy (JFK) — having so many devices around enables frequent location updates for your AirTag, allowing for more accurate location tracking. The opposite can be said for a rural spot of New Jersey versus New York City. The more devices your AirTag can reach, the more accurate and up-to-date the AirTag’s location is.
And yes, you need an iPhone to use AirTag. You can set it up by holding it near your iPhone and using the on-screen prompts to name it and tie it to your Apple ID. Now, from a privacy standpoint, Apple’s been issuing updates to address common issues with smart trackers and some of the larger stalking issues with the AirTag.
Currently, you’ll get notified if your iPhone finds an AirTag near you that’s not registered, along with a notification if you depart without an AirTag that is registered to you. Apple is working to speed up those notifications.
With the “Precision Finding” feature, Apple will locate an unwanted or unregistered AirTag near you. Apple’s also released a Tracker Detection app in the Play Store for Android, which can be used to find an AirTag that might be around you without an iPhone. Apple will also make it more apparent when setting up an AirTag that there are some negative use cases and ways to report them to the authorities.
Flying with AirTags
Yes, AirTags are Federal Aviation Administration approved. The FAA ruled that having an AirTag in your luggage is permitted and, in fact, not a safety hazard since the small devices only contain 0.1 grams of lithium, which falls below the FAA’s limit.
During my initial testing of the AirTag, I flew from Newark to Palm Beach International Airport (PBI). I placed an AirTag in the inside pocket of a suitcase and said goodbye as it was checked. I also added one in a leather loop accessory to my carry-on backpack.
Within the Find My app on my iPhone, I was able to select “Jake’s Luggage” and view it on a map. I could see where my luggage was in real time — still at the front of Newark Airport. And while I didn’t physically have a line of sight on my luggage, I did have peace of mind that it was on its way to meet me at my final destination.
Sure enough, when I checked it a bit later while at the gate, the luggage was closer to the aircraft. By the time I boarded and was in my seat, I could see that the luggage was safely under me and a little farther back in the plane’s cargo hold. And while airplane mode is required while on the aircraft, even as we flew over the East Coast of the United States, I could see the luggage AirTag updating in real time.
While the AirTag won’t magically save you if your luggage gets left off your flight, it does give you some real-time peace of mind and a location for the airlines to find your bags, if need be. And having some information about the location of your bags is definitely better than having none at all.
When it came time to deplane and make my way to baggage claim, I kept tabs on my luggage in the Find My app. It was a bit slower to update as I meandered my way through a pretty quiet terminal, but I could at least get the gist that my bag was on the ground.
Once your near your bag, the Airtag’s Precision Finding feature uses augmented reality, or AR, to give you large directional arrows along with distances to direct you to your item. It’s pretty awesome and it’s a game changer for item trackers to offer such pinpoint accuracy.
If you want to supercharge the AirTag as the ultimate travel companion, it’s worth checking if your airline offers any luggage-tracking services of its own. For instance, Delta will keep tabs on your bag and update you via its app for Android or iOS. In it, you can track the bags attached to your itinerary as they’re scanned at each part of the journey and make their way through the airport and onto the plane.
From dropping off your bag at check-in until it’s loaded onto the plane and then onto the baggage claim carousel, AirTag combined with an airline’s bag-tracking app feels like a superpower.
What we didn’t like
The one downfall of the AirTag? There’s no built-in key ring hole, like on the Chipolo or Tile tracker, which is a shortcoming. Keep in mind that while you’re spending almost $30 on the tracker, you’ll then want to get an accessory, especially to make it suitable for travel.
If you have a pocket or a secure spot to tuck the AirTag in within your luggage, you don’t necessarily need an additional accessory. But if you want to attach it securely, we think it’s worth the investment of a keychain or loop accessory.
One of our favorites is the Belkin Secure AirTag Holder, which physically clamps the AirTag and ensures that it won’t fall out. You can normally grab it for less than $15, which is much more inexpensive than Apple’s leather keychain or leather loop.
The bottom line
If you’re good at losing things with style or have a habit of misplacing things — and have an iPhone — the AirTag makes a lot of sense. When you’re not using the AirTag for travel, it also makes a great addition to everyday valuables like your keys or wallet. So, as you’re making the final packing checks ahead of your next flight, consider investing in a little more peace of mind with the AirTag’s help.
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