electronic luggage tags

We use Apple Air Tags - we are always relieved when we know our luggage is on the same plane as us, and then again at the same airport when we land.

My son-in-law transited through Heathrow in late June on his way to a weeklong business trip in Africa. As far as he knows from the tags, his bag is still in Heathrow. No luggage for the business trip, and nothing has shown up at home. But the tags still show Heathrow.
So at least there's that.

Here's a recent thread on the subject: https://community.ricksteves.com/travel-forum/general-europe/apple-air-tag

I've been using Apple AirTags and love them! They really do keep track of your luggage. On a recent flight, I flew MSP to DLH and the Delta app baggage tracking was not working correctly. I wanted to make sure my luggage had gotten on, and checked the AirTag and showed that it left MSP with me. Great for peace of mind! I have another one that I keep in my purse - haven't had to use that yet, but you never know.

I, too, use and am pleased with the Apple Air Tags. I knew where my luggage was from Denver to Shannon and Dublin to Denver a couple of weeks ago and also on our trip to and from Paris in May. I also use one on my dog’s collar and it works for that, too! He likes his unsupervised walkabouts a little too much!

With all the hype about LHR and lost baggage, I was glad to at least know through my Apple AirTag that my suitcase was in the airport (and what terminal) earlier this month when I missed a flight and got rescheduled. And it was fun to watch it get on the plane to EDI ahead of me.

Apple air tags use satellite tracking, while Tiles don't. Therefore, Tiles are good for finding your remote control or car keys but not luggage halfway around the world.

Didn’t know anything about these tags, thanks for the heads up. Just ordered some for myself and 2 as gifts for fellow family travelers.

Forgive me for being a stickler on technical matters. I was surprised to see the comment that AirTags use satellite tracking. This had not been my understanding. Please see https://www.apple.com/airtag/ and scroll down to the heading "How does it work?" or read https://www.esrgear.com/blog/how-does-apple-airtag-work/ or even https://www.knowyourmobile.com/accessory-review/do-airtags-have-gps/. Seems to me that if your AirTags land in some place truly remote and without nearby Apple devices you might be in the dark as to their location. I suspect chances of that happening for typical Forum readers is very low. Best wishes for safe traveling for you and your bags.

We have an AirTag on a lost piece of luggage in Rome right now. My husband said he can tell it’s been moved since he last looked at it, unfortunately it hasn’t moved onto a plane to get back to us.

Is there a type of tag that works with Android and (as Bets mentioned above) satellites? My brother has an Android phone and I think this would be a good gift for him. I’m looking at a Tile Pro. Thanks!

We have an AirTag on a lost piece of luggage in Rome right now. My husband said he can tell it’s been moved since he last looked at it, unfortunately it hasn’t moved onto a plane to get back to us.
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Yes everyone keeps acting like this is the solution to the luggage issue. Nope, it just tells you that it's "lost" in the airport, but you are still without your luggage. There are literally THOUSANDS of bags lost in airports right now. AMS is so bad that they aren't even accepting checked bags today. Delta flew an empty plane to Europe just to collect "lost baggage" The US carriers have flown baggage handlers to Europe to help...

The solution... CARRY ON, not an AirTag

You're right it doesnt help unless there is someone at the other end who is actually looking for your bag. An AirTag is better than not knowing at all.

I dont believe they use satellites, they connect via other nearby Apple devices, which then communicate location via wifi to the secret Apple surveillance system. If the tag is away from another iPhone for very long, you lose contact until someone else walks by with a device. They also beep.

Yes to carryon. Unfortunately, as a pessimist, I'm thinking that means more people will be bringing more, oversized luggage on the planes, and that means more anger and frustration.

There was an article in my newsfeed this morning, about a US traveler who returned home from Portugal without his checked luggage. Another US traveler was at the airport in Portugal and notice the first person's bag on a carousel at the airport with name tag and a phone number with the same area code. So he called and told the first person where his bag was. The first person called the airline and told them where his bag was. They told him he was free to come and get it. In Portugal.

According to news sources, industry reps are expecting this to continue on into at least October.

Yes everyone keeps acting like this is the solution to the luggage
issue. Nope, it just tells you that it's "lost" in the airport, but
you are still without your luggage.

Maybe I'm not trying hard enough but I have yet to read a success-story article about how the tags helped reunite someone with lost luggage. The cynic in me wonders if the airlines will use this as an excuse not to reimburse people for lost luggage because it's not really lost if you know where it is.