United, Air Canada integrate Apple's cool new AirTag tracking feature
Finding your lost checked bag might just happen a little bit faster if you're flying on United or Air Canada.
That's because the two carriers just enabled Apple's new Share Item Location feature, which allows travelers to share their AirTag location with the airline when items are lost.
Apple's new feature, which was released on Wednesday as part of iOS 18.2, lets users share the location of an AirTag or another Find My-enabled accessory with airlines or other interested parties.
With this new airline integration, United or Air Canada can use the live tracking link to locate lost or delayed bags more quickly.
If your bag is mishandled, the airline will request a link to the AirTag location sharing, which you can generate directly in the Find My app on any iPhone, iPad or Mac.
You'll copy the link and then share it directly with the airline.
Note that location sharing will automatically end as soon as you're reunited with your bag. Of course, you can also stop location sharing at any time, and the link will automatically expire after seven days.
Furthermore, the entire process is end-to-end encrypted and anonymous, so no other party, including Apple or accessory manufacturers, can view an item's location or information.
In addition to Air Canada and United, Apple will partner directly with 16 other airlines on this integration. The full list is available below.
- Aer Lingus
- Air New Zealand
- Austrian Airlines
- British Airways
- Brussels Airlines
- Delta Air Lines
- Eurowings
- Iberia
- KLM Royal Dutch Airlines
- Lufthansa
- Qantas
- Singapore Airlines
- Swiss International Air Lines
- Turkish Airlines
- Virgin Atlantic
- Vueling
More airlines will be added over time, according to Apple.
"Now, Apple's new Share Item Location feature will help customers travel with even more confidence, knowing they have another way to access their bag's precise location with AirTag or their Find My accessory of choice. They can easily and securely share that with us in the United app, and our team can use the location information to find the bag and get it reunited with its owner much more quickly," said David Kinzelman, United's chief customer officer, in a statement.
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