A man uses AirTag to track lost golf equipment while traveling in Ireland

• A man traveling to Ireland watched his golf clubs fall off his flight thanks to an AirTag.
• Despite notifying the airlines, he said trying to retrieve it was a stressful experience.
• He told Insider that airlines need to adapt to the fact that everyone can track their luggage now.

A man who traveled from Oklahoma to Ireland to play golf with friends said he spent his vacation without clubs after his equipment – equipped with an AirTag – remained at an airport across the ocean the entire time.

Tulsa resident Terry Argo told Insider that before flying out for his “bucket list” vacation at the end of June, he added Apple Airtag into his golf bag for the first time as an experiment. It ended up helping him discover that his clubs weren’t flying alongside him as he boarded a connecting flight from Toronto to Dublin.

He argued that he asked A flight attendant If they could help him in some way, but he was told that the situation was out of their hands. Instead, he was told he had to wait until he landed in Dublin to start checking in with the airlines, and was assured they could send his luggage on the next flight.

“It arrived in Dublin, and it certainly didn’t,” Arg told Insider.

Argue said he filled out a form and was told he would receive updates on the status of his golf bag. But nine days passed without any updates from the airlines. He told Insider he made daily calls to Air Canada, United Airlines and Toronto Pearson International Airport during the nine-day wait.

He spent his vacation with replacement golf equipment, which he said cost him “a few thousand.”

“That’s probably the most painful thing about the whole trip, is having to play all these great courses that you were looking forward to and planning for, and not having your own clubs,” Argo said. “That’s probably the worst part.”

The golf bag finally left Toronto, once he returned to the airport

Argue said his clubs and equipment were located in toronto airport Until he returned home at the beginning of July. Then, when boarding a connecting flight from Toronto to Chicago, he said his AirTag showed his bag was finally moving. Except now, it was being loaded onto a plane two gates away from him on its way to Dublin. Argey said staff again told him there was nothing they could do about it.

Immediately after making his way to Dublin, Argue said the “helpful” worker sent his golf bag to Toronto Pearson. After arriving in Canada, she remained idle for another five days.

Argue said he believes he got his bag back because of a United manager in Tulsa who eventually reached out and asked United staff in Canada to send it over.

“As I was told, he became very aggressive or angry with his counterpart in Toronto and said, ‘How hard can it be to go and pick up that suitcase and put it on a plane?’ There’s a picture of it that shows you ‘exactly where it is.’” Just go and do it so we can return this bag to this gentleman and put an end to this case.”

Finally, Argue picked up his bag at Tulsa International Airport. He said he was now waiting for a response to the claim he filed on July 2 for expenses he incurred while playing golf in Ireland without his equipment.

“Anyone can misplace their bag, and I certainly don’t blame anyone for that,” Arjo said. “But the problem was really the lack of effort or ‘no customer service’ that was presented as a very simple solution. And I think airlines haven’t adapted to the fact that people do things like this to track their bags.” “

Popularity of use AirTags for baggage tracking It has increased in recent years as airlines handle more passengers and staff shortages, Insider previously reported. In January, Insider reported that Google searches for “Apple Air Baggage Tags” It has grown by more than 5,000% over the past year.

Insider reported multiple cases in which travelers were able to use their AirTags to retrieve belongings: A woman tracked her down Lacrosse equipment for his daughterA man watched his wallet travel to more than 35 cities in one day American Airlines planeAnd the boy he lost A bike costs $12,000 He was able to recover it.

The use of AirTags by passengers has been controversial for some airlines. In 2022, German airline Lufthansa She reportedly asked passengers to turn off their AirTags, citing concerns that the technology was “dangerous” on board. The company later unblockand the Federal Aviation Administration AirTags were cleared as safe to use on flights immediately afterward.

United Airlines, Air Canada and Toronto Pearson International Airport did not immediately respond to questions sent by Insider. Dublin Airport redirected Insider to the airlines.