Tech Mishap Sends Man Into Panic for Whole Flight
Newsweek AI is in beta. Translations may contain inaccuracies—please refer to the original content.
A Massachusetts man has shared how he spent his entire flight worried after a notification came through on his watch telling him that his suitcase had been "left behind."
Will, 20, shared the moment on Reddit's r/WellThatSucks, where the post has since gone viral with more than 61,000 upvotes.
In the caption, he said: "Worried the ENTIRE flight until landing and realizing it was a glitch... New to AirTags and I guess this just happens? Lots of unnecessary panic."
The alert from the Apple Airtag in his suitcase popped up shortly after takeoff from Kruger Mpumalanga International Airport, bound for Johannesburg's OR Tambo International Airport.
A picture of the notification that left the man worried during his flight.
A picture of the notification that left the man worried during his flight.
Will
He had been traveling around South Africa for two weeks and was proud to have avoided checking any luggage—until a gate agent insisted his overhead bag be taken at the door due to the plane's small cabin space.
"At first when I got the notification I was nervous and rather confused," Will, who didn't give a surname, told Newsweek. "It was a small plane and an even smaller airport, so I didn't know how it could have been lost."
Without WiFi onboard, Will couldn't refresh the AirTag's location and assumed the worst.
The tracking app showed the last location of his suitcase at the Kruger airport, which added to his anxiety. "I remembered that there were many flights between the airports daily and I had a long enough layover where I could've waited until the next flight from Kruger with my bag before leaving Johannesburg," he said. "I was able to put my mind at ease enough with that."
Thankfully, the panic ended the moment the plane landed in Johannesburg. As passengers disembarked via the ramp, Will spotted his suitcase being unloaded, and with the crew's permission, he got hold of it immediately.
The Apple Airtag was launched in 2021. Small Bluetooth-enabled tracking devices are used to help track personal items with the help of the Find My app.
While they don't have GPS, the vast size of Apple's device network means they can provide remarkably precise tracking worldwide.
Since their launch they have surged in popularity with travelers, specially for monitoring checked luggage.
During his layover, he shared the experience on Reddit—and by the time he arrived in London the post had gained viral attention with more than 61,000 upvotes.
One commenter said: "Yeah, it's usually a false alarm and catches up." While another wrote: "My AirTag in my wallet does this all the time when my wallet is sitting next to me in the car."
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