In a move that’s expected to provide a much-improved
customer service experience, United
Airlines has announced the integration of Apple’s new Share Item location
feature for AirTag into its mobile app.
Now available with iOS 18.2, Apple's Share Item Location
feature enables United customers who travel with an AirTag or Find My network
accessory to privately, securely, and seamlessly share the accessory location
with the airline's customer service team to help locate their luggage in the
event that it is mishandled.
While more than 99 percent of customer bags flew with – or
even beat – their owner to their destination so far in 2024, this new digital
innovation is the latest example of United's
infrastructure, training and technology investments geared towards making
travel easier and bag handling more seamless, especially when plans don't go as
expected.
"For years, every customer has been able to track the
journey of their bag through the United app as it is scanned on and off the
plane, and previously, they didn't have a way to directly share their AirTag
information with our baggage team," said David Kinzelman, United's Chief
Customer Officer.
He added, "Now, Apple's new Share Item Location feature
will help customers travel with even more confidence, knowing they have another
way to access to their bag's precise location with AirTag or their Find My
accessory of choice. They can easily and securely share that with us in the
United app, and our team can use the location information to find the bag and
get it reunited with its owner much more quickly."
Customers have had the ability to track their bags in the
United app. Now they will be able to generate a Share Item Location link in the
Find My app on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac for an AirTag or Find My network
accessory, and share that with United to help locate a misplaced item more
quickly and securely.
Here’s how it works:
- In the event a bag doesn't arrive to its final
destination, customers can file a delayed baggage report in the United app, and
those who travel with an AirTag or Find My network accessory can additionally create
a Share Item Location link in the Find My app on their iPhone, iPad, or Mac,
and add that to the delayed baggage report in the United app.
- Once the report has been submitted, authorized
United customer service agents will receive the Share Item Location link and be
able to view the location of the item on an interactive map. The map will
automatically update when a new location is available and show a timestamp of
the most recent update.
- United will use the shared location to more
quickly find delayed bags and reunite them with customers.
- For customers' privacy and security, the shared
location will be disabled as soon as a customer is reunited with their bag, can
be stopped by the customer at any time, and will automatically expire after
seven days.
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