When traveling recently, the AirTag on my wife’s travel bag was dislodged somewhere in the baggage handling section of an airport terminal. When we got home the tag was missing. I used my phone to locate it and could see that it was in Terminal E in Houston where we had first landed after a return trip. I filed a lost/found claim with the airport and advised that it was in Terminal E which is a huge building, but after a couple of days, I was advised that it had not turned up.
A day later, I got a text on my phone that a person working at the airport found it. I had set the AirTag to “LOST” and put my phone number as a contact. When someone finds an AirTag and holds it near their iPhone or Android, it advises the finder that it is lost and provides the the phone number you entered.
The person that found it, texted me and asked if I had lost one. I said yes. We exchanged a couple of more texts as to where he found it and then he offered to mail it to me. After a day, I could see its location using the FIND MY app as it moved across Texas and Louisiana and then it finally ended up in my mail box after three days!
After I got the AirTag, I turned off the LOST mode status. The tag was ok, but the holder had some deep scratches on it as it was pulled off the luggage. Next time, I’ll tuck it inside the bag.
These devices are truly handy to keep track of items that could get lost such as car keys, luggage, pets and so on.
…and one more thing. A family member borrowed our car which has an AirTag (registered to my iPhone) on the keychain. After he made a short trip, his iPhone advised him that he had an AirTag following him that was not registered to him. Good to know if someone is trying to track you without your knowledge.