Following the official release of Apple’s new Share Item Location feature with iOS 18.2 yesterday, United Airlines has announced it has integrated it into its mobile app. Passengers finding themselves at their destination without their luggage can now file a delayed baggage report through United’s app along with a Share Item Location link that will potentially expedite a reunion.
Passengers will need to ensure the United mobile app is up to date, but once a report has been submitted with a Share Item Location link connected to an AirTag or a tracker that’s compatible with Apple’s Find My network, customer service agents will be able to determine its current or last known location using an interactive map, according to United Airlines. Having access to the Find My network data for a missing bag will allow the airline “to more quickly find delayed bags and reunite them with customers.”
You don’t actually need the app to take advantage of the new integration. After filing a delayed baggage report either in person at an airport, over the phone, or through United’s website, passengers will “receive an automatic text notification with information to track misplaced luggage and add a Share Item Location link for their AirTag or Find My network accessory.”
Once a passenger is reunited with a missing bag its shared location will be disabled automatically. The location sharing can also be manually stopped by the passenger at any time, and for added security and privacy the link will automatically expire after seven days — hopefully long after the luggage is located and returned.
Apple says that Air Canada has also integrated the feature, and in the coming months more than 15 airlines “will begin accepting Find My item locations as part of their customer service process for locating mishandled or delayed bags.”
