Air Tags, Tile or Smart Tags in luggage?

[rjack22]

This is not directly on topic but related to cruising none the less.    For those of you who fly, have you ever used Air Tags (Apple), Tile or Smart Tags (Samsung) in your luggage so you can track where your luggage is (or isn't)?   Do the airlines allow these in your checked luggage because they do have batteries, although small ones?   And most importantly do they work?

 

Since I have a Samsung Galaxy phone I am looking at the Samsung Smart Tags.   Like the Apple Air tag and Tile they seem to rely on signals from other nearby Samsung phones to get the location if you are out of Bluetooth range.   I would imagine there are lots of those in a airport or cruise terminal.  Any comments or experiences with them?  Any of them?

[sunsetme]

air tags are great

[Essiesmom]

This has been addressed several times on the Ask a Cruise Question board.  EM

[Rick&Jeannie]

On our last cruise a couple months ago out of Southampton we flew into Heathrow.  I remembered seeing all of those terrible news stories about lost/misdirected luggage.  I felt I *had* to do *something*!  I use an Android phone while my wife is firmly within the Apple camp.  I did my research...and grudgingly came to the conclusion that the air tag just seems to make more sense.  Not that they are any more technically advanced or such...simply because of the widespread "population" of iPhones in use and the better coverage they could provide in this situation.  So...I invested and placed air tags in both suitcases this time.  Thankfully, nothing happened, perhaps because we were not connecting through LHR.  (I'd heard that the biggest majority of problems were from missed connections and/or changing airlines.)  Heathrow was our endpoint before cruise and starting point after the cruise.  We did have to wait what seemed like an inordinate amount of time for our bags at baggage claim arriving from ATL...but the carrousel finally started spitting bags out after almost 45 minutes after landing!  We were getting concerned...but then it would have been the entire plane's passengers having issues because NOBODY'S bags were coming out!

[DougandEric]

We’re using AirTags.  We took them last year to Napa and they worked great.  Flying to LA in a couple of weeks for our Hawaii cruise and will use them again.  If you use whatever brand, set them up and test them out so you know how to use the app.  ThePointsGuy site has an article about setting them up and using them (AirTags).  I’d recommend they go inside a side pocket so they don’t get ripped off like luggage tags.

[Rick&Jeannie]

49 minutes ago, DougandEric said:

 I’d recommend they go inside a side pocket so they don’t get ripped off like luggage tags.

Absolutely...put them *inside* your bag, not outside.  I taped mine to a larger index sized card sand place them in an inner side pocket so they don't "get lost" in the clutter!

[memoak]

We use air tags. Works great. When Princess put some on the wrong bus when we were headed to quarantine in Canada we could see they were headed elsewhere and were able to call and get them redirected 

[ckrcjr]

We use Tile tags and they are great.  We put them in the zipper pouch inside the luggage and they work incredible!

[LMADAMS91]

I recently purchased some air tags. Our daughter was flying across country to Seattle on her own, only the second time she has flown alone. She's a nervous flyer and I thought having the air tag would be somewhat reassuring for her that her bag would be going with her. (Didn't think about her having a pixel phone but I have an Iphone and can track it for her. Oops.)

 

Unfortunately.....She was in the air heading to Denver for a plane change and her luggage was still sitting at IND.  I kept thinking it was because there weren't Iphones around to help transmit the signal (or however they work.....??) Then.....as she was heading from Den to SEA, I saw her bag on the runway at IND and eventually make it's way to Denver.  She made it to Seattle...her bag was in Denver. I kept hoping it was just a techy issue....nope. No bag came off that plane.  I watched her bag leave Denver, make its way across Colorado, Wyoming and Idaho and eventually arrive at SEA. I even watched it on its way to her location in Seattle. 

 

They absolutely work and work pretty darn well. 

[pcur]

LOVE my Apple Airtags.  What I like is knowing the luggage is in the terminal when I go down to claim it.  If it isn't (hasn't happened yet), then the app will locate it for me, and I can head to the airline's baggage customer service office. 

 

For instance, the first time I used it, my iphone told me it was .1 mile away in the terminal where I was standing at the baggage carousal.  Just waited until it came by.  Peace of mind. 

 

They are also great for finding your car in a huge parking lot, finding your purse or car keys.  Sometimes in between trips I will use it for this.  I just wish I could use it on my phone.  I'm forever putting it down someplace odd at home.  

 

Someone should invent a "clapper" app for phones, like the lamps that turn on and off when you clap..........

Edited November 6, 2022 by pcur

[Lizabu]

11 minutes ago, pcur said:

LOVE my Apple Airtags.  What I like is knowing the luggage is in the terminal when I go down to claim it.  If it isn't (hasn't happened yet), then the app will locate it for me, and I can head to the airline's baggage customer service office. 

 

For instance, the first time I used it, my iphone told me it was .1 mile away in the terminal where I was standing at the baggage carousal.  Just waited until it came by.  Peace of mind. 

 

They are also great for finding your car in a huge parking lot, finding your purse or car keys.  Sometimes in between trips I will use it for this.  I just wish I could use it on my phone.  I'm forever putting it down someplace odd at home.  

 

Someone should invent a "clapper" app for phones, like the lamps that turn on and off when you clap..........

I have this. I put smart bulbs in my living room. And I have a smart plug for the fish tank and the Christmas tree. I have a Google nest but they work with other assistants. And I just say Google turn on the lights. Or Google turn on the fish tank etc. I’m thinking about getting some for my mom for Christmas because she always gets excited when Google does stuff. I also like when I’m cooking I can ask Google how many grams are in a tablespoon of butter or whatever, especially when I have cookie dough all over my hands and don’t want to look something up.

[pcur]

Just now, Lizabu said:

I have this. I put smart bulbs in my living room. And I have a smart plug for the fish tank and the Christmas tree. I have a Google nest but they work with other assistants. And I just say Google turn on the lights. Or Google turn on the fish tank etc. I’m thinking about getting some for my mom for Christmas because she always gets excited when Google does stuff. I also like when I’m cooking I can ask Google how many grams are in a tablespoon of butter or whatever, especially when I have cookie dough all over my hands and don’t want to look something up.

 

Absolutely!!!  My Echo runs my lights and music.  Auto on and off, or voice command.  My curated playlists on-demand, etc.  

[disneyochem]

21 minutes ago, pcur said:

 

They are also great for finding your car in a huge parking lot, finding your purse or car keys.  Sometimes in between trips I will use it for this.  I just wish I could use it on my phone.  I'm forever putting it down someplace odd at home.  

 

Someone should invent a "clapper" app for phones, like the lamps that turn on and off when you clap..........

Do you have an Apple Watch?  It has a feature that pings your iPhone.  Drives my family crazy—I’m constantly pinging my phone looking for it!

[pcur]

2 minutes ago, disneyochem said:

Do you have an Apple Watch?  It has a feature that pings your iPhone.  Drives my family crazy—I’m constantly pinging my phone looking for it!

HA!!  Sounds like my friend who doesn't know how to change her text message alert, and for some reason when I text from my iphone it BLARES on her end!

 

I can't wear watches:  they make me OCD and crazy.  Stopped wearing them in my 20's, and have developed a very finetuned sense of time.  Like, just now I stopped typing, looked up, and said "it's about 7:30".  It was 7:25.

[Coral]

I have (2) Apple Airtags and (1) Tile. I have been using Tile for years before Airtags came out.

 

I just used all 3 when flying to London and they worked like a charm. Yes - they are allowed on airlines/in luggage due to the type of batteries they use.

[Coral]

2 hours ago, ckrcjr said:

We use Tile tags and they are great.  We put them in the zipper pouch inside the luggage and they work incredible!

I put the Airtags in the zipper and the Tile was in my carry on. I agree - they are amazing!

[lx200gps]

9 hours ago, Coral said:

I have (2) Apple Airtags and (1) Tile. I have been using Tile for years before Airtags came out.

 

I just used all 3 when flying to London and they worked like a charm. Yes - they are allowed on airlines/in luggage due to the type of batteries they use.

We will be using Tiles for the first time later this week, for flights in and out of Fort Lauderdale. Based on your experience with Tiles, what kind of accuracy do you get from them, IOW how EXACT are they in showing the position of the bag? I know from having tested ours that they can show the location within maybe 100ft +/-, but I'm wondering what your experience has been.  Thx

[Hornet441]

I have a Samsung and use Smart Tags. They work great. Lots of Samsung phones around to track. I am even able to see my bag on the ramp and when it's loaded on the plane. I also use one for my aging father with dementia, in case he wanders from his home.

[LoveThatCorgi]

We placed Air Tags in our luggage for flights to and from Rome in September.  When we were packing, I just dropped the Air Tag down in a pants pocket in each bag. 

 

On our return trip, we arrived back in the states, but our bags were showing still in Rome an hour after our flight departed.  A quick app check on Delta's baggage tracker confirmed our bags were on the flight after ours.  So, instead of standing in international baggage claim waiting to claim and recheck our bags at customs for our connection, we knew no bags were coming off our flight and proceeded to our connection gate.  We checked a few hours later, and they had made it into the U.S.  We were able to watch them make their way to us.  The airline had them delivered to our house the next morning.  There was some comfort in being able to see that they were, in fact, moving toward us and not lost who knows where.

 

We are flying to Ft Lauderdale next month, and we will be doing the same thing.  

[voljeep]

14 hours ago, Rick&Jeannie said:

  So...I invested and placed air tags in both suitcases this time.

I found 4 for $100 - is this a reasonable price?

[Rick&Jeannie]

That's the "package" that I bought (Amazon). As with most (if not all) Apple products they are all "price fixed". It doesn't really matter where you buy...you're probably going to pay the same.

[Coral]

2 hours ago, lx200gps said:

We will be using Tiles for the first time later this week, for flights in and out of Fort Lauderdale. Based on your experience with Tiles, what kind of accuracy do you get from them, IOW how EXACT are they in showing the position of the bag? I know from having tested ours that they can show the location within maybe 100ft +/-, but I'm wondering what your experience has been.  Thx

On this trip - I put the AirTags in my suitcases and my Tile in my carryon. I find the AirTags much more accurate.

 

Oddly - most of the time I am looking for my Tile - I know it is in the same room as I am and just have it play the sound. It is attached to my house keys.

[MissP22]

.

[HS2BS]

We purchased the four pack(air tags) and put one in each suitcase and one in our roll on. The fourth was placed in the pocket of my wife’s wheelchair. Flying from

JFK to LHR, our flight was delayed and then a plane change. My wife checked to make sure that her wheelchair made it to the plane change - it didn’t! Before the doors closed we notified the head steward, who called baggage ground control and located the wheelchair within 10 minutes. We could actually tell when it reached the plane.

invaluable for travel

 

Hal

[Coral]

30 minutes ago, HS2BS said:

We purchased the four pack(air tags) and put one in each suitcase and one in our roll on. The fourth was placed in the pocket of my wife’s wheelchair. Flying from

JFK to LHR, our flight was delayed and then a plane change. My wife checked to make sure that her wheelchair made it to the plane change - it didn’t! Before the doors closed we notified the head steward, who called baggage ground control and located the wheelchair within 10 minutes. We could actually tell when it reached the plane.

invaluable for travel

 

Hal

Awesome story with a great ending!