According to the Luggage Hero website, US airlines lost more than 684,000 pieces of luggage in the first quarter of 2022 alone, or seven out of every 1,000 suitcases. Suitcase trackers like Apple’s AirTags, Samsung Smart Tag or Tile Mate (Android) are your weapon to counter this bad luck.
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One in three Canadian travelers has lost at least one piece of luggage (forever for 6.7% of them), according to a study by the firm Compare the Market Australia last February. Most people get their suitcases back within 48 hours. But for some, it can stretch over several weeks.
Some travelers are told by their carrier that they will soon find their lost suitcase, when the AirTag indicates that it is moving elsewhere in the world! Or that your suitcase is in the carrier’s warehouse, while the AirTag indicates that it is hanging around in a hotel, or, worse, accommodation in another city…
How it works?
The principle of these locators (trackers) is simple: they use an encrypted Bluetooth signal to nearby devices equipped with this technology. We can therefore, with the appropriate application, quickly locate our lost luggage with our phone, often on a map. Convenient when talking with a carrier representative.
The AirTag can operate for over a year before the battery fails. The Tile Mate battery can last three years! These widgets are water resistant.
Loops can be purchased to attach to the handle of the suitcase or to an inside ring. Avoid leaving it “loose” in your luggage, as it may fall to the ground during a random security check (it happened).
The costs
The AirTag sells for $39 each and $129 for a set of 4 on Apple’s site. The Tile Mate retails for $28 ($110 for a 4-pack), and the Smart Tag for $40 on Amazon.
Apple’s AirTag is more efficient than Android products because it uses the “Find My network” application, which “collaborates” with an infinitely greater number of devices (about a billion!) and branch to Apple’s iCloud.
Advice
The best way not to lose your luggage is to travel light, i.e. not to have a suitcase in the hold. Limiting yourself to one carry-on bag and a handbag seems spartan, but it’s totally doable. Avoid the multiplication of shoes or the dryer, use easily washable clothes and underwear (made of synthetic fibres), a reading light instead of books, buy liquids (shampoo, perfumes, make-up) at your destination. Check if your suitcase respects the template of the carrier (displayed on its website). You save on checked baggage fees and skip the line at the carousel.
Keep your prescription drugs, passport and electronic gadgets in the cabin, with clothing to last 48 hours in case of lost luggage. Put an AirTag in your cabin baggage (travelers often leave with the wrong suitcase).