Apple AirTags not too long ago helped Florida police find greater than $16,000 ($A22,810) of things stolen from baggage from the Destin-Fort Walton Seashore Airport.

The suspect, 19-year-old Giovanni De Luca, was an airline subcontractor, in accordance with the Okaloosa County Sheriff’s Workplace.

In July, a traveller reported that her baggage by no means arrived at her vacation spot, and it was later listed as misplaced or stolen. The bag contained gadgets price greater than $US1,600, in accordance with police. The Apple AirTag in her suitcase, nevertheless, confirmed that it was final lively within the space of Kathy Courtroom in Mary Esther, Fla. One other traveller additionally reported that greater than $US15,000 in jewelry and different belongings have been taken from his baggage on August 9.

Whereas investigating, deputies cross-referenced staff who lived within the neighborhood of Kathy Courtroom, and De Luca got here up. Investigators went to his residence within the space on August 10, and the gadgets that have been reported lacking have been recovered.

De Luca admitted to rummaging by way of the primary sufferer’s suitcase and eradicating an Apple AirTag, however her belongings nonetheless haven’t been recovered. He’s presently dealing with two counts of grand theft.

The small Apple monitoring units have turn into a part of travellers’ toolboxes throughout a chaotic summer time that is been full of cancelled flights and misplaced baggage. Passengers have used them to find luggage when airways stated it wasn’t potential.

“Travelling associates: think about getting an AirTag in your baggage. Saved my life right now. And probably the lifetime of a dozen bagels,” Simon Doubleday, a historian at Hofstra College tweeted.

Aviation analyst Alex Macheras stated he was capable of assist associates with lacking luggage “by exhibiting airport workers precisely the place the luggage have been.” He stated that he was solely ready to do that “as a result of they’d AirTags inside.”

Thus far this yr in the USA, baggage has been mishandled at increased charges. In Could 2022, greater than 237,000 piece of bags have been mishandled, up from greater than 132,000 from Could 2021, in accordance with the Transportation Division’s month-to-month Air Journey Client Report.

Misplaced or backed-up baggage has plagued worldwide travellers, too – in conditions which may be even worse than these in the USA. Earlier this summer time, luggage piled up at Heathrow Airport in London, due to a scarcity of handlers. Final month, Delta despatched an additional airplane to London to select up 1,000 items of stranded baggage.

The Washington Put up

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See additionally: The whole lot you’ll want to find out about dealing with the present journey chaos