CNN Reports: United Traveler Crosses America to Retrieve Misplaced Luggage Using AirTag

• A United Airlines passenger embarked on a two-hour journey across the US to retrieve her lost bag.
• Sandra Shuster, based in Denver, flew to Chicago after the airline failed to locate her bag.
• During her flight from Baltimore to Denver, her daughter’s lacrosse kit went missing along with her checked bag.

A United Airlines passenger embarked on a two-hour journey across the US after the airline failed to reunite her with her bag.

The passenger, Sandra Shuster, based in Denver, shared with CNN that on July 17, while traveling from Baltimore to Denver via Chicago, her checked bag, containing her daughter’s lacrosse kit, went missing.

When Shuster checked the location of an Apple AirTag she had placed in the bag, the tracker revealed that her luggage was at the Terminal 1 baggage reclaim area in Chicago O’Hare Airport.

Shuster informed United staff about the location, but little progress was made. It turned out that a United check-in agent had mistakenly attached the wrong tag to the bag, swapping it with another passenger traveling only from Baltimore to Chicago.

Due to the lack of progress by United in locating the bag, which contained around $2,000 worth of lacrosse equipment crucial for her daughter’s team try-outs, Shuster took matters into her own hands. She took a day off work, utilized her air miles to purchase a ticket, and flew for two hours from Denver to Chicago.

Upon her arrival at the Chicago airport, it took the staff only 30 seconds to find her bag.

A spokesperson for United Airlines informed Insider that the bag had been incorrectly tagged at the beginning of the trip, causing the extended delay. They apologized to Shuster, reimbursed her air miles, and provided additional travel credits for future flights.

However, this is not the first time passengers have relied on trackers to locate their bags. In the midst of last summer’s travel disruptions, another passenger shared with Insider that they were able to track down $10,000 worth of lost luggage, including a wedding dress, using an Apple AirTag.