 Poster: A snowHead
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There have been some recent comments on various threads about luggage trackers, but can't find what I need to know.
The general consensus seemed to be that the Apple trackers are very good, so long as there is an apple phone in the vicinity.
However, many of us don't have apple phones. 
fwiw, I currently use an Honor 10, but find that most general apps for android phones work ok on it.
Can anybody suggest a good, reasonably priced luggage tracker than will work with android phones?
Thanks
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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Flew Japan Air Lines earlier in January and we had to declare there were no trackers inside our luggage. Not sure why but perhaps this is going to become another restriction.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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We use Tile to track lots of stuff - works on iphone and android platforms. However, it requires another Tile user in the vicinity to track the bag, so it's not nearly as ubiquitous as apple airtags.
The problem with using them in bags on planes is that the information is of minimal use. You're much better off spending the money on a better insurance policy.
E.g. if you get to Geneva, your bag doesn't appear, your tracker shows you it's in Heathrow, but the airline thinks its in Dubrovnik:
a) there's no way for you to update the airline systems,
b) the airline doesn't care what you think anyway, and
c) whether it's in Heathrow or Dubrovnik doesn't change how it gets back to you.
You can't call a person at BA and get them to go and look in the huge heap of bags in a warehouse near Heathrow, you have to wait as they work through scanning the tags.
Where there might be a tiny amount of value, is when the bag is located and handed over to a courier to deliver to you. I've had the process fail at this point because the courier turned up in the morning, not the afternoon. A tracker would have shown the bag approaching my house earlier than planned. Pretty much an edge case though.
Much more useful is to make sure you've labelled your bags inside and out, so if the bar code label comes off, there's a vague hope you'll still get your bag back.
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Just to provide you with a complete set, I have the Samsung trackers, which work as you'd expect. There are enough Samsung users around my city to track the things around the place. Carrying the tags in Air Canada hand/ hold baggage for inter-continental and internal flights hasn't been a problem. There's obviously no subscription and the batteries are standard button CR2035 or something like that.
I have trackers because I like toys, and sometimes they dump the snowboard bags in weird places in the baggage hall. I take precautions so if my bags are lost, I don't need to sweat about it, which I think is a better approach because I get to snowboard, not to chase my bags around. BA at least uses secondary warehouses now and then - I once located my bag [on my home journey] through about a hundred phone calls to third party storage on an industrial estate. Maybe a tracker would help with that, but not using BA is probably even better.
I tend to ink my details inside my bags; it's not like I'm going to be selling them on or anything, so I may as well be indelibly connected to the bag.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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We used Apple Tags for the first time this trip. Worked well in the respect that we could track the luggage onto the plane in MEL (assumption: if the bag is on the apron then it is likely to be loaded) and arrival/load in Singapore. Did not check in Zürich because we had little time and the bags came off quickly. All that said, the Singapore Airlines tracking app provided similar information.
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There is an issue in that lithium batteries are banned in hold luggage due to the fire risk (so no laptops in the hold, would apply to trackers too) though some airline enforce this others dont
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I've been fortunate never to lose luggage, but with some recently reported issues, I was thinking of edging my bets.
tbf, I'd be happy enough just being able to check that the luggage had left the terminal, and was in the vicinity of the aircraft before taking off. (At least I'd be first in the queue to make a claim if I knew it had stayed at LHR. )
@ulmerhutte, Interesting comment on the Singapore airlines tracking app, so just out of interest checked for a BA one.
According to their website, their digital tags can be bought for £63 for executive club members, however when you follow the link it just goes to a page that says "Due to the global pandemic, we are currently not taking orders. Please check back soon." Seems they forgot to update the link, which is about as much use of a chocolate teapot.
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You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
You'll get to see more forums and be part of the best ski club on the net.
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I would recommend taking pics of your luggage. When ours was lost on the way to Canada and we had to fill in the online form to report them, they wanted to know make, model and colour of each case and ideally a photo as well.
I have a folder on my iPhone photos which holds passport info, tickets needed, any bookings made, visas etc for each trip and now photos of our luggage.
We also have a +44 xxx number written in permanent marker pen on each case by one of the handles.
@snowdave, is correct @brianatab, we chatted to people in resort who knew their cases were in Nebraska, but it didn't do them any good - or explain how Sydney to LA to Vancouver to Kelowna had meant their luggage ended in Nebraska....airline would get them to them when they got them 
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| Agent Orange wrote: |
| We also have a +44 xxx number written in permanent marker pen on each case by one of the handles. |
I have the same, but mine's my +353 mobile number which I have on me, so they can call me.
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snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
snowHeads are a friendly bunch.
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What @snowdave says. Also don't fly Alitalia or whatever they're currently called (Air Cosa Nostra?). Trackers for luggage seem useless.
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And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
And love to help out and answer questions and of course, read each other's snow reports.
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Tile is not the same as AirTag, as AirTag will piggyback any iPhone it can find in its vicinity. I am quite sure Tile does not have the ability to piggyback any android phone. I think Samsung Galaxy tracker works similar to AirTag, but can only piggyback other galaxies and not all andorids. However, Samsung have nowhere near the marketshare of an iphone. In a crowded place like a baggage hall someone is likely to have one though! Not sure if galaxy tags can be tracked on non galaxy phones though.
I think chippolo is multi platform but an only link to other phones that have the app installed. One advantage is the chippolo can double up as a camera button & camera buttons can be be used as Push To Talk button for walkie talkie apps - if you want to use walkie talkie over celluar/wifi to communicate with people!
Maybe just pick up a cheap iphone (ideally one that supports ios 16! so nothing under an iphone 7) or ipad for your tracking needs?
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We use apple air tags and so far so good.
That said I think having your destination address and contact details inside your case is vital. I always type up sheets for our cases (sheets for going and return) before we go with this info, especially tel no. I then just lay it on top of the content so it’s visible if the case is opened. We had a case returned and this was how Heathrow said they tracked us so it works.
I always carry our home sheets in our hand luggage though as a precaution to not have our empty home address details available to anyone with bad intent.
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You know it makes sense.
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I bought a bright orange suitcase strap/belt and got my email address stitched into it in bright green letters. Pretty useful for picking the right case of the luggage belt as it stands out like a sore thumb. Also planning to get 2x shorter one (1x email and 1x phone number) for ski bag.
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Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
Otherwise you'll just go on seeing the one name:
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I think I’d rather spend the flight time in blissful ignorance than have it ruined by knowing my baggage wasn’t with me?
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Poster: A snowHead
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I mentioned this in one of the other threads recently, but I do secondary luggage tracing for two of the biggest airlines at Gatwick. I am essentially the last person in the chain who will try and work out who an item of luggage belongs to.
90% of the luggage I have is tagless for whatever reason. There are only 2 ways I can work out who it belongs to.
1. You report your luggage missing at the destination airport and they will create a delayed luggage report for you. When your luggage eventually makes its way to my office, I will trawl through the World Tracer database and try to match the luggage I have, with the correct delayed luggage report that has been created. If you haven't created a delayed luggage report (PIR), I literally won't be able to find you on there. The other very important thing to remember is to list as many of the contents as possible. This will increase the chance of me matching the bag with your file significantly.
2. Leave some clues in the luggage for me. Literally anything that has your contact details on it, ie your phone number and email. Your address is less important. I am not going to send your luggage out for delivery even if I know your address unless I haven't spoken to you first.
Both are important, but even if you've reported it there's still a chance I won't be able to match the luggage I have with the file you have created, because the list of potential matches is enormous, and I can only spend a certain amount of time trying to find the match. If you've left your contact details inside the luggage, I will know instantly who the luggage belongs to.
Another thing to remember is, DO NOT report your missing luggage to lost property at Gatwick airport (or any other airport for that matter). That ISN'T where delayed luggage should be reported. Lost property is only for items that have been lost WITHIN the airport, eg a mobile phone, laptop, teddy bear etc. The one exception for reporting lost luggage to lost property is if YOU have somehow managed to lose it within the airport.
Last edited by Poster: A snowHead on Sat 14-01-23 11:08; edited 1 time in total
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Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
Obviously A snowHead isn't a real person
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And yes, as@Agent Orange, mentioned, take a photo of your luggage. If your luggage goes missing, and you end up needing to contact me, a photo of your luggage will be the easiest way for me to confirm whether I have it or not.
I've realised that i've kind of veered off track with my post, and haven't offered anything advice about the tracking gadgets. That is because I don't know anything about them.
I do know that they are helpful though, as I've had people turn up at my office telling me that I have their luggage.
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Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
Well, the person's real but it's just a made up name, see?
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| munich_irish wrote: |
| There is an issue in that lithium batteries are banned in hold luggage due to the fire risk (so no laptops in the hold, would apply to trackers too) though some airline enforce this others dont |
Not quite true. The issue is spare batteries with the potential to be shorted.
Enclosed systems with no open terminals like a laptop or other hardware are fine (except India where the rules are enforced wrongly).
I’ve flown with electronic kit for years in the hold.
A standard CR2032 batter is below the power limit as well.
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You need to Login to know who's really who.
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Ordered 2x of these today https://www.amazon.de/-/en/gp/product/B09MWGDGPN?tag=amz07b-21
Purposely linked the DE site because 2x is about £30 - while the UK is £20 each.
Will report back in Feb if they are junk & fell off! My use for tags is not for if my junk made it on the plane (im on Dode side with that one!)
Its for someone taking a fancy to my junk while I am enjoying a beverage!
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Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
Anyway, snowHeads is much more fun if you do.
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Tend to agree with @snowdave that a tracker is probably of little practical use. Best to have a good insurance policy, or fly with an airline, that will cover rental equipment and costs.
Worth remembering that bags getting lost is rare. The usual worst case scenario is bag doesn't make the transfer, but for most people on direct flights from UK to EU that's not an issue anyway.
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You'll need to Register first of course.
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@boarder2020, I am more worried by someone stealing on the mountain than luggage being on a flight.
I can always rent if my gear dont make the flight. Long trudge in the snow if my gear is lifted on the slope
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There was a case at Dublin Airport, where one of the Baggage Handlers was taking luggage home with him, searching through it at his leisure, removing what he wanted and then returning it to the Airport.
He was caught when he took luggage with a tracker on it. When he was paid a visit, they found all sorts there.
It's hard to believe that others working at the Airport were not turning a blind eye.
Anyway, I believe they've tightened things up now.....hopefully.
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