Apple AirTags are hardly unique or revolutionary in terms of empowering passengers to track their baggage, but have become highly popular…and for good reason. One woman spent days tracking her lost baggage on United Airlines before finally being reunited with it after many twists and turns. There are many layers to this story, but the two most important are that persistence pays and that Apple AirTags or other tracking devices are quite effective in holding airlines like United accountable for missing or delayed baggage.
United Airlines Lost Baggage Saga In Washington, DC: AirTags Lead To Adventure
Valerie Szybala’s story played out on Twitter, with a series of tweets that has garnered over 20 million views. I will share the tweets below, but first here is a summary of what happened:
- Szybala arrived into Washington National Airport (DCA) on United Airlines, but her baggage did not make it
- United promised to deliver it to her address
- It never showed up: United told her to be patient
- She had placed an AirTag in the bag and tracked it to an apartment complex in the District
- While she did not find her bag, she found a couple of other emptied bags (not otherwise dirty or damaged) in the trash area of the complex
- After sitting for days, her AirTag revealed the bag was moving…to McDonald’s…then out to the DC suburbs to a shopping complex
- As Szybala relayed this info to United, she was told to “calm down” and that her bag was “safe” with United Airlines
- The bag returned to the apartment, then went back to the shopping complex the next day, then back again to the apartment
- At this point, Szybala received a text message from the courier
- He said that he had delivered the bag to the wrong address and had to go back and get it, but had it now
- Szybala and her bag were reunited
Here’s how it played out on Twitter:
I’d just like everyone to know that @united has lost track of my bag and is lying about it. My apple AirTag shows that it has been sitting in a residential apartment complex for over a day. Out back by the dumpsters, I have found other emptied United Airlines bags. pic.twitter.com/fcoq4nj3zb
— valerie szybala. (@vszyb) January 1, 2023
Anyone wondering why I felt compelled to take this to social media, check out my most recent chat with one of their support reps through the @united app: pic.twitter.com/hxUu3jQaxj
— valerie szybala. (@vszyb) January 2, 2023
Anyone wondering why I felt compelled to take this to social media, check out my most recent chat with one of their support reps through the @united app: pic.twitter.com/hxUu3jQaxj
— valerie szybala. (@vszyb) January 2, 2023
Although, it’s been sitting at this shopping complex for the past half hour so maybe it’s just out for another meal… pic.twitter.com/zexN1dL6W3
— valerie szybala. (@vszyb) January 2, 2023
WHEW this has been a wild ride y’all. I’m happy to report that I got my bag back!!! I’ll give more details & lessons learned later. For now wanna say thank you for all of the support, and shout out to the building resident and local news crews who came out to help =) pic.twitter.com/hCDXMreiDC
— valerie szybala. (@vszyb) January 2, 2023
After creeping around the building’s garage with a little posse trying to get a signal, I stepped outside for service. That’s when I received this text message. It’s sketchy, and it doesn’t really match with what my AirTag tracking said, but I immediately called the number. pic.twitter.com/5IAs4cQq2u
— valerie szybala. (@vszyb) January 2, 2023
The two empty bags I had seen by the dumpster were gone today. The helpful building resident said they weren’t picked up by trash collection, she saw someone bring them back inside! Which adds to the sketchy factor for sure.
— valerie szybala. (@vszyb) January 2, 2023
The local news even covered it:
Szybala claims that United Airlines is at fault here and ultimately yes, the buck stops with the airline. United likely contracts out baggage to delivery to the lowest bidder and like Uber Eats, apparently there is no rush to deliver bags by people paid low wages and forced to drive their own vehicles (perhaps she should have tipped the driver up front?).
Stories like this are rare. Over the years, I can share several successful encounters with United Airlines concerning delayed or missing baggage. Even so, the dismissive language used by the United representative on Twitter and the overall incompetence displayed, even if a baggage contractor is primarily at fault, is dismaying. United cannot be the best airline in the world with actions like this.
The empty bags at the apartment complex are quite odd and merit further investigation. However, I tend to think incompetence and laziness more than maliciousness was at play here. I suspect Szybala’s bag sat in the courier’s trunk for several days because he felt no rush to deliver it.
I have not used AirTags yet (I am going to start this week when I check a bag…), but I hope they are more effective than the notoriously bad “Find My” app on Apple, which routinely tells me my AirPods are in a very different place than they actually are.
CONCLUSION
AirTags are a beautiful way to hold airlines accountable. The main story here is that United Airlines has some pretty bad contractors handling baggage delivery at National Airport and that represents a “penny wise, pound foolish” approach considering all the bad press United has received over this story. I doubt there was “foul play” involved, but the incompetence on display here is no less concerning. Kudos to Szybala for being persistent.
images: @vszyb / Twitter
Interesting. The one time recently I did not put an airtag in a suitcase (because of a change in suitcase the morning of the flight, I just forgot), it went missing. It was finally delivered at my destination after 4 days, but the baggage tracking from United seemed to say it had gone on a different connection, but then arrived at my arrival airport after 2 days, when online it said it would be delivered that day. But then there was no update for two more days till I got a text out of the blue that it was coming, and a car like an uber or lyft showed up and delivered it. So a day short of when I would have filed a claim for $1500. (I’m assuming this case was also less than 5 days.)
I was glad to get it, but this makes me wonder if the delivery person just took two days to get around to dropping it off. And would also explain why the online information was not up to date for that period. If I’d had an airtag in it, I would know.
Is that headline your winner for the “most words” award?
Airtags are revolutionary in the ability of passengers to track baggage checked in with the airlines. Due to the massive crowd-sourced network coverage via Apple devices out there, the low energy using AirTags allow for baggage tracking by passengers in a way that has never before been available. AirTags work way better than GPS trackers.
The apartment complex is not sketchy. It’s not the most prestigious address in DC, but 670 Rhode Island Ave NE (the “Chase”) is not sketchy. What’s sketchy is the apparent behavior of someone who lives there or has access to it.
Also, the trip to the burbs included a stop in Bowie MD – the shopping complex shown in her Tweet is at 3911 Town Center Drive in Bowie, about 22 miles from DCA.
“Perhaps she should have tipped the driver up front?”
Micdrop.
Well played Mr Klint 😀
I recently purchased Airtags after being gifted an apple gift card.
I used them on a recent trip during the recent Christmas travel meltdown, and it was comforting to see the bags made it to the plane.
Never in the history of “calming down” has anyone ever “calmed down” from being told to “calm down.” 🙂
What does the CEO of the #1 airline have to say about this performance?
He will most likely blame it on the 3rd party delivery service, similar to what happens when an Air Wisconsin FA gets drunk
Funny that your previous post was “United Airlines CEO: “We’ve Already Become The Best Airline In The World”. LOL!!!! Yes, “calm down, your bag is safe.” Safe in the dumpster.
Can you provide clarity on whether or not airtags or tiles are legal in bags according to FAA or its international counterparts? I think Canada has a rule against them and LH bans them too, but I could be wrong
Only Air New Zealand formally bans them.
I never put anything of value in my checked-in luggage…just clothes and a few souvenirs. These items can be replaced at my destination (tourist love to shop) or upon my return home.
Considering how the airlines have out-sourced most manual activities, I have in the back of my mind a 10% failure rate to deliver my bags on each trip. During the holiday crush, it jumps to 30%. If in doubt, look at the SW meltdown. How many of those bags will never see their rightful owners!!
Also, AirTags are not fool proof. They ping off any nearby iPhone or iPad. If in an Android environment, no signal. Bags appeared to be still at airport terminal while aircraft taxied for takeoff. Fortunately, they showed up in Paris on time.