Thursday, January 12, 2023

When Paul Kliffer hopped on an Air Canada flight from Mexico City to Victoria, he popped an AirTag into his luggage, and he's glad he did. Two weeks later, the tracking device says his bag is in Madrid, Spain.

After hearing numerous reports of airlines losing luggage, Kliffer and his wife invested in an Apple AirTag – a wireless tracking device that can attach to several items, including checked bags. 

Kliffer said he contacted an Air Canada agent and opened a claim right away. He said he was told by an agent he would have his bag returned home shortly.

“My bag never arrived,” he said. “Over the next three days I went back out to Victoria and they again reiterated there was nothing they could do except send a note to Mexico City.” However, after two weeks, Kliffer said the situation went from bad to worse. He was shocked to discover the location of the AirTag indicated the luggage was now sitting at the international airport in Madrid, Spain.

John Gradek, a lecturer at McGill University and program coordinator for the aviation management program said, in his opinion, when it comes to baggage handling, it’s often not a priority for the airline.

“It’s not part of the service strategy of an airline to really make sure the bag takes the least amount of detours to a destination,” he said.

Still, Gradek advised that AirTags can be a helpful tool.

“AirTags for me are a way for you to hold the airline accountable,” he said. “You can basically wag the airlines’ tail pretty hard by getting on their case and saying ‘please get my bag moving’,”

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