Which airlines offer luggage tracking services?

As of October, Southwest Airlines is the latest major airline to unveil a baggage tracking tool for travelers to track checked baggage inflight via its website and mobile app.

Southwest, along with American, Delta and United, offer this tool for their flyers.

Here's how each airline's luggage tracking feature works.

American Airlines

Previous slide

Next slide

1 of 3

AMERICAN AIRLINES

0

1

2

American Airlines customers can track their bags online and via the mobile app under the "Track your bags" header. From there, you can track your bags by entering your record locator or bag tag number.

Delta Air Lines

Previous slide

Next slide

1 of 2

DELTA AIR LINES

0

1

Go to "Track Checked Baggage" on Delta's website or "Track My Bags" on the Delta app, then search by bag tag number or file reference number. You can also upload a picture of your bag tag to make it even easier to track.

United Airlines

Previous slide

Next slide

1 of 3

UNITED AIRLINES

0

1

2

Unlike the other airlines, the only option to track baggage on United flights is via the carrier's mobile app, as the capability doesn't currently exist online.

Select "Track my bags" from the menu in the app and either search for your bags via flight reservation or bag tag.

Southwest Airlines

Previous slide

Next slide

1 of 3

SOUTHWEST AIRLINES

0

1

2

Southwest flyers can access the airline's baggage tracking tool by clicking on "Track your checked baggage" on the left-hand side of the mobile app under "Flight" or online.

Through the app, Southwest customers can track checked bags from takeoff to landing, specifically when bag tags are printed, when bags are loaded and when bags are unloaded from the aircraft.

Daily Newsletter

Reward your inbox with the TPG Daily newsletter

Join over 700,000 readers for breaking news, in-depth guides and exclusive deals from TPG’s experts

Email address

Sign up

By signing up, you will receive newsletters and promotional content and agree to our Terms of Use and acknowledge the data practices in our Privacy Policy. You may unsubscribe at any time.

Bottom line

Only the Big Three airlines and Southwest currently provide the opportunity for travelers to check their luggage in real time. However, more airlines will hopefully add this feature to their apps in the not-too-distant future.

Even if you fly with an airline that offers this feature, consider purchasing a personal electronic tracking device, such as Apple Air Tags, to track your devices via Bluetooth for extra peace of mind.

To buy: Apple AirTag, $28.99 on Amazon; Apple Airtags 4-Pack, $88.99 on Amazon

Related reading:

• How to avoid checked baggage fees on major domestic airlines
• Which credit cards cover baggage delays?
• Delta baggage fees and how to avoid paying them
• United Airlines baggage fees and how to avoid paying them
• American Airlines baggage fees and how to avoid paying them
• Southwest baggage fees and how to avoid paying them