People left behind 2 million items at airports in 2023, according to The Unclaimed Baggage Found Report. Just 10% of lost item requests are found.
When Andrew Jensen and Meredith VanAcker's vehicle was towed without notice to an unknown location, the couple spent a week cycling along their Brooklyn neighbourhood's streets, key fob in hand, trying to find the car. The couple joined the ranks of tech-savvy individuals pursuing an end to lost items: They outfitted their car with an e-tag to track its location in real time.
Get some backup using Bluetooth trackers—but know the limits of their radius and battery life. Valerie Szybala's lost luggage fiasco went viral in late 2022 when the tracking device she installed on her suitcase showed her misplaced baggage taking a circuitous journey to reconnect with her—including stops at a McDonald's and at an apartment complex that was not Szybala's. A rep for the airline at the time claimed the luggage was in a secure location.
Bluetooth technology can update users on the location of their items tagged with the product when they're within range. It works with Amazon's Alexa system, so you don't need to look at an app; instead, you can simply say, "Alexa, find my…" Travel with an airline that uses RFID tag tracking. In 2016, Delta became the first major airline to utilize radio frequency identification tags. RFID tags are more efficient than barcode trackers but are only implemented in 27% of airports, according to the International Air Transport Association.