Baggage tracking devices: Travellers track their own bags as luggage is lost and delayed worldwide

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This was published 1 year ago

Baggage tracking devices: Travellers track their own bags as luggage is lost and delayed worldwide

By Katherine Scott and Tim Biggs
Hundreds of delayed bags at Hamburg Airport last month. A global shortage of baggage handlers has resulted in a surge in the number of bags being delayed or lost.

Hundreds of delayed bags at Hamburg Airport last month. A global shortage of baggage handlers has resulted in a surge in the number of bags being delayed or lost. Credit: Getty Images

Lost and delayed luggage continues to plague the aviation industry amid surging travel demand and widespread shortages of baggage handlers.

Some airlines have gone to extreme measures to cope with the crisis, with US carrier Delta Air Lines this week flying a plane filled with delayed luggage, and no passengers, from London to Detroit. Icelandair, meanwhile, is putting its own baggage handlers on board flights to Amsterdam to ensure bags are offloaded at the city's overwhelmed Schiphol Airport.

Amid horror stories of lost and delayed bags, travellers are turning to luggage tracking devices to try and ensure they can find their possessions, even if the airlines can't.

Shane Miller used an Apple AirTag to find his delayed bag himself at Melbourne Airport, after waiting a week to be contacted by the baggage firm.

Shane Miller used an Apple AirTag to find his delayed bag himself at Melbourne Airport, after waiting a week to be contacted by the baggage firm.

Earlier this month, Victorian cycling technology consultant Shane Miller went viral after chronicling his lost luggage journey on YouTube.

Miller's luggage, containing more than $6000 worth of cycling equipment and personal belongings, went missing after flying into Melbourne from Europe. The frequent flyer had put Apple AirTags tracking devices into his luggage for just this scenario, and was able to track his bag soon after landing.

"I tried calling the supplied airport helpdesk number all week with no answer. I knew where the bag was as soon as it landed in Melbourne and as soon as they moved it into their offices. I gave them a week to get the bag to me, or contact me. They did neither." Miller said.

Apple AirTag's cost $45 and allow you to track the location of your bag using an iPhone.

Apple AirTag's cost $45 and allow you to track the location of your bag using an iPhone.

In the video, Miller shows how he was able to use the AirTag to locate the exact location of the missing bag, tracking its whereabouts to Melbourne Airport and into the baggage handling firm Swissport's offices.

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"There were a lot of other bags in the Swissport offices. I was only there to retrieve mine and once I had it, I was out of there quick-smart before any further questions were asked," he said of his successful bag-retrieval mission.

Tracking devices have become the new must-have technology for many travellers thanks to their ease of use and relatively low price .

Tile's luggage tags cost $25 and work on iPhone and Android phones.

Tile's luggage tags cost $25 and work on iPhone and Android phones.

For those with an iPhone 11 or newer, users can track down a tag with high precision up to about 60 metres away but, more importantly for luggage, you can still monitor it even if it's lost or stolen.

Apple's taps into the brand's global 'Find My' network, which covers nearly a billion devices, to locate the lost items.

An AirTag marked as lost can connect to any nearby iPhone in order to work out its location, and show it on your phone's map wherever you are.

However AirTag does, like most Apple products, require you to already own an iPhone or iPad in order to be set up.

Android users still have options, including the platform agnostic Tile tracker. The brand pioneered Bluetooth tracking almost a decade ago, and today manufactures a range of travel-friendly trackers, including slim-design luggage tags for suitcases and passport holders, and sticker trackers for electronics or wallets.

Tracking technology still has a way to go. AirTags and Tiles are primarily designed to find keys and other objects you've misplaced but are still nearby.

While they can help find lost or stolen objects that might be another country, they rely on pinging other internet-connected phones in the vicinity to do it. Those with valuables might consider a more expensive GPS-based tracker, such as GEGO GPS, which comes with a monthly fee, but can orient itself with GPS and mobile networks for constant tracking.

Bluetooth-based trackers are relatively cheap. AirTags retail at $45 while Tile trackers are just $25. Both are great for instantly finding nearby misplaced objects, or tracking down luggage that's fallen further afield, and should last a year or more on a battery.

Smart or connected luggage was once touted as the thing to transform air travel, but airlines began banning these bags in 2017 over safety concerns about the lithium batteries they contained.

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