Google searches for Apple's Air Tags and how to use them for lost luggage have surged in the past year. The trackers now top Amazon's bestseller list.
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Airlines closed out 2022 with a bang, stranding hoards of passengers during the peak holiday travel season. But if one company appears to be benefiting from travelers' misfortune, it's Apple.
Web searches of "Apple air tags for luggage" and similar related terms have grown by more than 5000% over the past year, according to Google Trends.
Apple AirTags are currently listed as the third most popular electronic on Amazon, a nine-spot jump from two weeks ago. On Christmas day, the $29 gadget that can be used to track the location of personal belongings like wallets or suitcases was ranked sixth on the same bestseller list.
AirTags' recent surge in popularity comes as airports across the US were flooded with unclaimed luggage after a Winter storm disrupted thousands of flights and crippled Southwest Airlines' flight schedule for multiple days.
Nothing rubs salt in the wound of a canceled flight like losing your luggage. Some passengers who were anxious about lost bags have used AirTags to track down their belongings when the airline can't.
One couple said Southwest flew their luggage to their final destination without them after the airline canceled their flight on Christmas day. A United Airlines passenger said she used the device to track down her suitcase on December 28, which was mysteriously delivered to an apartment complex and a McDonald's restaurant after her flight. A maid of honor flying to her friend's wedding told Insider this summer that she was able to find her luggage buried in piles of bags at the San Diego airport thanks to the AirTag.
Insider reporter Brittany Chang recently put Air Tags to the test, using them to track her bags on two buses and a plane, and said she'll never travel without one again.
