As of October, Southwest Airlines is the latest major airline to unveil a baggage tracking tool for travelers to track checked baggage inflight via its website and mobile app.
Southwest, along with American, Delta and United, offer this tool for their flyers.
Here’s how each airline’s luggage tracking feature works.
American Airlines
American Airlines customers can track their bags online and via the mobile app under the “Track your bags” header. From there, you can track your bags by entering your record locator or bag tag number.
Delta Air Lines
Go to “Track Checked Baggage” on Delta’s website or “Track My Bags” on the Delta app, then search by bag tag number or file reference number. You can also upload a picture of your bag tag to make it even easier to track.
United Airlines
Unlike the other airlines, the only option to track baggage on United flights is via the carrier’s mobile app, as the capability doesn’t currently exist online.
Select “Track my bags” from the menu in the app and either search for your bags via flight reservation or bag tag.
Southwest Airlines
Southwest flyers can access the airline’s baggage tracking tool by clicking on “Track your checked baggage” on the left-hand side of the mobile app under “Flight” or online.
Through the app, Southwest customers can track checked bags from takeoff to landing, specifically when bag tags are printed, when bags are loaded and when bags are unloaded from the aircraft.
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Bottom line
Only the Big Three airlines and Southwest currently provide the opportunity for travelers to check their luggage in real time. However, more airlines will hopefully add this feature to their apps in the not-too-distant future.
Even if you fly with an airline that offers this feature, consider purchasing a personal electronic tracking device, such as Apple Air Tags, to track your devices via Bluetooth for extra peace of mind.
To buy: Apple AirTag, $28.99 on Amazon; Apple Airtags 4-Pack, $88.99 on Amazon
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