Baggage Chaos Is Getting So Bad Flyers Are Turning to Tracking Devices Like Apple Airtags
Cory Prenatt’s retirement celebrations didn’t go as planned. Rather than enjoying playing golf with his friends at famous Open courses around the UK, the 47-year-old ended up traipsing across the country trying to locate his bags after they got lost on the journey over from the US.
Prenatt, from Tampa Bay, Florida, had attached Apple Inc. devices called AirTags to his golf bag and other luggage to track where they were after checking in for his flight. Upon landing in the UK, he saw his bags were still stuck on the tarmac at Newark airport, where they remained for two days. His luggage was eventually sent to a warehouse in Edinburgh, but while driving there to pick it up, he noticed that his clubs were already headed to Aberdeen. His AirTag showed they finally ended up in the West Midlands in England.
“It’s a mess,” he said.
Prenatt’s experience encapsulates the chaos travelers are facing as airports in Europe, the US and elsewhere are overwhelmed by a surge in passenger traffic -- and luggage -- because they don’t have enough staff to cope following the mass redundancies that engulfed the aviation industry during the pandemic.
Travelers are turning to AirTags and similar devices from other companies to keep tabs on their belongings. Apple introduced AirTags in April 2021 with a starting price of $29, while Samsung Electronics Co.’s SmarTag costs $29.99.
The devices, which use short-range Bluetooth, are permissible on planes, with many passengers already flying with gadgets that use similar technology like gaming consoles and headphones.
A British Airways Plc passenger wrote on Twitter this week that her tracker showed her luggage arrived in London Heathrow a day after her flight and has been there for more than
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