Here's how you can make sure your luggage is never lost again during a flight (VIDEOS)
It’s fair to say that airports and airlines weren’t the most organized and reliable last summer.
With staffing shortages and an influx of travellers, some of Canada’s major airports experienced chaos at baggage claim, overrun with hundreds of lost and forgotten items.
It was so bad that one Air Canada traveller still hadn’t received her lost luggage 15 days into her vacation.
The height of travel season is once again on the horizon, so it’s best to be prepared for any turbulence you may experience at airports.
No luggage is safe, but all hope for smooth travelling isn’t lost.
A flight attendant on TikTok says there’s one thing you can do that’ll “guarantee your checked luggage is not lost on your next flight.”
CiCi, who has been a flight attendant for four years and shares travel tips on social media, highly recommends that passengers purchase an Apple AirTag.
“Multiple people have used Apple AirTags to find their bags that have been lost,” she explained in the video. “So, just take one of these little guys and hide it in your checked luggage just in case.”
@cici_inthesky Do you use Air Tags when you travel? #lostluggage #airtags #travelinsurance #travelhack #flightcrew ā¬ Aesthetic – Tollan Kim
CiCi cleverly calls it an “insurance policy.”
How does it work?
For those who are unfamiliar with AirTag, it’s a tracking device designed by Apple to act as a key finder, helping people find personal objects like keys, a wallet, vehicles and even luggage.
The small, circular device automatically connects to your phone once activated. You can label the AirTag based on the item it’s tracking.
To locate your items, you use the Find My app, which you’re probably acquainted with if you’re like me and misplace your phone all the time in your own home.
CiCi demonstrates what the tracking looks like in her TikTok below. Through Bluetooth signals, the AirTag will show up on a map in the Find My app.
@cici_inthesky Reply to @kathiecole1 #greenscreenvideo @cici_inthesky #travelhacks #airtag #flightattendant #flightattendantlife #flightcrew #airplanetips #flighttipsandtricks ā¬ original sound – CICi
One pack of AirTags costs about $40 on Apple’s site. Android users can use Tile, a device that also tracks personal items.
Does it really work?
Angus An was flying from Vancouver to Calgary to Amsterdam to Barcelona. With so many connecting flights the risk of baggage being left behind is higher.
And that’s exactly what happened to An. He told Daily Hive that his luggage didn’t make the flight in the Calgary connection.
Thankfully, An had an AirTag in his baggage, so he was able to track where it was even when there was no update from the airline.
“I knew it made the next flight and was in Barcelona within 24 hours. But [the airline] was not able to locate it,” he said. “I used AirTag to find out where it was in the terminal and looked for it myself when no one was helping.”
This was An’s first time using AirTag, and he’s glad it worked.
He recommends that AirTag users track luggage themselves and not rely so much on airport staff.
“Once it makes it onto the next flight, just go to the airport and grab it off the carousel,” he explained. “If you leave it up to the staff, you will not see it for a very long time.”
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