AirTags 5, Airlines 0: 5 curious stories of AirTags rescuing lost luggage

Lost luggage – the bane of every traveler's existence. It can be an opportunity for a fresh wardrobe start, but let's face it, it's more often a frustrating ordeal. And don't get us started on how airlines handle it. As David Letterman once quipped, "United Airlines: Passengers are our worst enemy. We’re not too fond of luggage either."

Many of us can swap tales of lost and miraculously found (hopefully) luggage. So, let's dive into some interesting and downright bizarre stories of people losing and then magically recovering their bags, all thanks to tracking devices.

Putting one of these in your bag when you travel might just be the smartest move you make if you want to avoid turning your vacation or work trip into a wild goose chase. There are plenty of options out there, but the star of most of these stories is the AirTag (we'll explain why shortly), though alternatives like Tile and Samsung's SmartTag also deserve a mention.

So, why do AirTags steal the spotlight in these stories? Well, it's simple. Right now, they are the gold standard in the world of luggage trackers, and here is why: When you lose a bag with an AirTag tucked inside, this clever little device taps into Apple's vast global network to find its way home.

This means any iPhone user who walks by your missing bag inadvertently becomes your hero by helping to track it down. Other tracker brands, on the other hand, rely on users within their specific network. So, if your bag has a Tile, but no one else with a Tile is nearby, your bag remains MIA. The closest runner-up to AirTags so far is Samsung's Galaxy SmartTag.

Now, let's dive into five of the most intriguing stories where a tracking device saved someone's luggage.

Finding more than just lost luggage – nabbing a thief with an AirTag

Last year, a passenger flew with Delta/Air France into Destin-Fort Walton Beach, but her luggage never showed up at the carousel, as The New York Times reports. Her bag contained more than just clothes and makeup; it held items worth $1,648. But that wasn't the end of the story, as an AirTag was along for the ride.

Two weeks after her luggage vanished, she received a notification that the AirTag had sprung to life. Thanks to the location data it shared, the police tracked down an airport worker. This worker was later accused of stealing more than $16,000 in goods from passengers' luggage. It turns out that sometimes, a missing bag isn't just lost – it's been stolen, unless you've got a tracker.

A honeymoon to remember – lost luggage donated to charity by Air Canada

Ah, the honeymoon – a time for romance and, sometimes, airline mix-ups. A Canadian couple experienced a memorable one when Air Canada lost their luggage (via PCMag). But here's the kicker: the airline, after two months of claiming the bag was MIA, decided to donate it to charity. Good-hearted, but not quite what the couple had in mind.

Thankfully, the couple had an AirTag in the suitcase. The AirTag showed that their bag was at a public storage facility just outside Toronto. After receiving a $2,300 payout (reportedly the maximum for lost luggage), the couple headed to Toronto Pearson Airport. There, they asked the airport manager for help. Surprisingly, he had no clue about the storage facility.