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A new feature from Google allows travelers whose bags are lost to share their luggage’s location with the airline.
Google has released a new feature for Android users designed to help airlines locate lost luggage faster as part of your Find Hub platform.
The update allows travelers to share location-compatible tracking accessories directly with airlines, offering an additional tool for handling one of the biggest frustrations of air travel.
In 2024, airlines lost an estimated 33.4 million pieces of luggage worldwide, including delayed, damaged or lost bags. Although industry data suggests that baggage handling is gradually improvingproblems with luggage continue to be a major source of stress for passengers.
To address these concerns, airlines and airports have invested heavily in technology aimed at improving systems baggage tracking and handling. Automation, self-service bag drop and real-time tracking tools are increasingly being implemented at airports around the world.
Google’s new functionality expands these advances, allowing passengers themselves contribute tracking data. Through the Find Hub app, Android users can generate a secure link that shows the location of their luggage if it has a compatible tracking device. This link can be shared directly with the airline through its website or mobile app, allowing airline staff to monitor the location of baggage in real time, says .
The system also includes privacy security measures. Users can stop sharing your luggage location at any time through the app, and location sharing automatically ends once the device detects that the luggage has been returned to the owner.
The feature is similar to a system introduced by Apple in recent years. Apple’s “share item location” function allows passengers share the location of your AirTags with airlines, and several large companies in the sector, including British Airways, Lufthansa, Qantas, Cathay Pacific and Virgin Atlantic, have already adopted the technology.
Google’s Find Hub functionality is being integrated into global baggage tracking systems used across the aviation industry. More than 10 major airlines already accept location data Find Hub as part of your baggage claim processes. These include Ajet, Air India, China Airlines, Saudia Airlines, Scandinavian Airlines and Turkish Airlines, as well as Lufthansa Group airlines.
Google is also partnering with luggage maker Samsonite to build Find Hub technology directly into new luggage models, which could make real-time luggage tracking even more accessible for travelers in the future.
