An American couple used a digital-age hack to track their luggage while traveling abroad in Europe, but even though they knew exactly where it was, one of them I was frustrated with United Airlines because my flight did not arrive.
Dan Adams and his partner Kurt are tech-savvy and smart enough to pack Apple AirTags in all four of their checked bags before flying business class on their two-month trip to Barcelona.
The couple said they wanted to make their vacation memorable so they gave themselves a little treat.
“We had been planning this trip for a long time. It felt like the trip of a lifetime,” Adams said. he told KNBC.
“I get to Barcelona. I get off the plane and go into the airport. And I pull out my phone and all four bags are there, so I'm like, 'Yay, they made it.'” Adams he said.
Despite their creative efforts to keep their bags safe, they never saw anything like it when they went to retrieve their luggage.
According to Adams' cell phone, the missing bag was just a few feet away from him, on the other side of the wall where he was standing, until one of the airline employees placed it on a conveyor belt. It was thought that he had simply forgotten.
The couple expressed their dilemma to one of the baggage handlers and showed them the location, but was told that their bag could not be found.
“She came back and said, “No, there's no sign of your bag.'' Maybe someone took it.'' I said, “Nobody took it.'' AirTag will display it immediately. 'She said, 'We're not using AirTags, we're using our own system,''' Adams recalled, irritated.
A tired and jet-lagged couple decided to leave the airport and were told their bags would be delivered later.
Adams wasn't completely convinced, but he used his cell phone to monitor the bag's location and became alarmed when it started moving.
“It came into Barcelona, and then it kept going out of Barcelona,” he said.
Adams actually witnessed his belongings disappear and his bags were transported 34 minutes outside the city, the newspaper reported, as he suspected airport staff had stolen his luggage.
“At that point, I knew I would never see that bag and everything that was in it again,” he said.
Ms Adams filed a complaint with United saying she had been a “really good customer for years” and was embarrassed by the way she was treated.
The Post has contacted United.
Travel expert Katie Natro says travelers with tracking devices, such as air tags, in their luggage should not leave the airport if they know where their luggage is, and if the airline won't cooperate. He told the publication that the situation should be escalated to airport police.
United Airlines has no intention of using Adams' location to locate luggage, but future travelers may not have to worry about the rare situation.
Apple AirTag users will soon be able to give third parties access to their tracking information.
This will allow airports and airlines to locate lost baggage in real time.
Apple announced The “Share item location” feature as part of the new iOS 18.2 operating system includes third-party sharing options.
This new feature is currently available in most regions around the world as part of the iOS 18.2 beta and will soon be available to all users with iPhone Xs and later as a software update.
A new feature in the Find It app will allow users to share the location of their lost items with “an airline or someone they trust.”
