BTB Joe
AH senior member
- Joined
- Jun 22, 2019
- Messages
- 74
- Reaction score
- 208
- Location
- Pennsylvania
- Media
- 10
- Hunted
- Namibia, South Africa, Canada, USA
Last year, my brother and I purchased Apple Air Tags and placed them in two pieces of luggage that we use when traveling to Africa as well as in our ammo case and double rifle case. In the ammo and rifle cases, we cut small slots in the foam and slid them inside. A friend of mine had mentioned that the technology was affordable and easy to use. Though we'd traveled to Africa a dozen times without incident, it seemed to make sense as something along the lines of an insurance policy (four Air Tags were under $100) ... so we bought them.
Well this week, it paid off. When we returned Thursday from Namibia (leopard hunt), two bags and our rifle case arrived. The bag containing the ammo case did not. Repeated searches around the carousel by us and an airline representative failed to find the bag. We were instructed to fill out a lost bag claim form. Loss of ammo and a few clothing items wouldn't have been a big deal. However, the Swarovski range-finding binos in the bag upped the ante. And then we remembered the Air Tag!
After connecting to the airport wifi, I used the Find Me app on my Iphone to see where all of the bags were. Three showed up as we knew in the airport where we landed. The fourth was located in Rome. We had refueled in Rome on the return flight and, somehow, the fourth bag had been left there. We sent a screen shot of the Find Me app showing that the bag was there (it showed the location and time it was detected there) to the email address listed on the baggage claim form. A short time later, we received an email from them saying thanks, they'd notify their folks there. The same evening, we received a message that the bag had been located and would be forwarded to us as soon as possible. Today, Find Me shows that it is now in the US and we have been alerted that it should arrive at a nearby airport tomorrow.
It is quite possible that the airline would have found the bag without our prompting. However, it was gratifying to know as we left the airport that it hadn't been picked up accidently (or intentionally, recall the Biden appointee who made off with high end clothing and jewelry last year) by another passenger in baggage claim. One of the downsides of traveling with firearms (at some US airports) is that you are forced to wait to clear your rifles before you're allowed to proceed to claim your other luggage. I'm always annoyed by that because while you're waiting, the rest of your gear is circling the carousel where anyone could simply walk away with it. I can't recall the last time I saw airline personnel check claim numbers as people exit the area.
In any case, if the bag arrives tomorrow and the contents are intact, this incident will be behind us. I thought I'd post this as I know many of the folks on this forum are traveling with firearms, binos, cameras, etc. that are expensive and/or may have substantial sentimental value. Air Tags (and I believe there are other similar brands) aren't perfect but they do give you a bit of a backup plan if those items are lost. Perhaps this has already been discussed on this forum but I did a search and Air Tags didn't show up so I thought I'd pass it along.
Well this week, it paid off. When we returned Thursday from Namibia (leopard hunt), two bags and our rifle case arrived. The bag containing the ammo case did not. Repeated searches around the carousel by us and an airline representative failed to find the bag. We were instructed to fill out a lost bag claim form. Loss of ammo and a few clothing items wouldn't have been a big deal. However, the Swarovski range-finding binos in the bag upped the ante. And then we remembered the Air Tag!
After connecting to the airport wifi, I used the Find Me app on my Iphone to see where all of the bags were. Three showed up as we knew in the airport where we landed. The fourth was located in Rome. We had refueled in Rome on the return flight and, somehow, the fourth bag had been left there. We sent a screen shot of the Find Me app showing that the bag was there (it showed the location and time it was detected there) to the email address listed on the baggage claim form. A short time later, we received an email from them saying thanks, they'd notify their folks there. The same evening, we received a message that the bag had been located and would be forwarded to us as soon as possible. Today, Find Me shows that it is now in the US and we have been alerted that it should arrive at a nearby airport tomorrow.
It is quite possible that the airline would have found the bag without our prompting. However, it was gratifying to know as we left the airport that it hadn't been picked up accidently (or intentionally, recall the Biden appointee who made off with high end clothing and jewelry last year) by another passenger in baggage claim. One of the downsides of traveling with firearms (at some US airports) is that you are forced to wait to clear your rifles before you're allowed to proceed to claim your other luggage. I'm always annoyed by that because while you're waiting, the rest of your gear is circling the carousel where anyone could simply walk away with it. I can't recall the last time I saw airline personnel check claim numbers as people exit the area.
In any case, if the bag arrives tomorrow and the contents are intact, this incident will be behind us. I thought I'd post this as I know many of the folks on this forum are traveling with firearms, binos, cameras, etc. that are expensive and/or may have substantial sentimental value. Air Tags (and I believe there are other similar brands) aren't perfect but they do give you a bit of a backup plan if those items are lost. Perhaps this has already been discussed on this forum but I did a search and Air Tags didn't show up so I thought I'd pass it along.