When Air France delayed a bag in late December that turned into a Compensation Clinic-case (read more here), I decided to purchase AirTags from Apple to be able to track checked luggage without the help of the airlines.
I have to say that the AirTags, in general, work great and you are much better informed if the airline left your bag(s) behind.
You have to remember that these AirTags use other Apple devices to inform about the location, and hence they work best in countries with plenty of Apple phones and other products.
Here’s one example from Phuket:
The app correctly shows that the computer is with me, and the checked luggage is still not loaded.
A few minutes later, it showed that the two checked bags would be with me when in fact, they were in the belly of Thai Smile aircraft.
Another one from Mexico:
I had arrived from Sao Paulo, but it appeared that one of the bags was left behind. It took a while for the AeroMexico baggage lady to process the PIR (Property Irregularity Report) because she was sure that the bag was at the airport.
The following morning there was a movement with my bag (there is a once-daily flight on AeroMexico from Sao Paulo to Mexico City).
Then it showed up at the Mexico City International Airport around 6 PM, and I had the Hilton concierge call them to see when it would be delivered.
AeroMexico claimed that the bag was still in Sao Paulo, and I would need to send an email to AM’s Sao Paulo office to have them forward it to me.
Of course, this made no sense, and the bag was already in Mexico.
Then on Sunday, the bag was moved all over the city (I guess with the courier) and was delivered late in the evening.
Conclusion
These AirTags give a piece of mind of having a better idea of where your checked luggage is, and they are even more worthwhile if something gets delayed.
Airlines are notoriously bad at delivering and following up with late bags.
They are also good at the baggage carousel. You can just sit out when others assemble in front of the belt and get up when the app indicates that the bags are with you. Then they will start coming off in a few seconds.
I am not sure if something similar exists for Androids, but these AirTags work brilliantly with Apple devices.
