Technology has allowed many air passengers to recoup lost luggage from around the world through the advent of Bluetooth-enabled trackers.
But in some instances, travellers watch their belongings go on long, peculiar journeys before they get them back — if they end up recovering them at all.
Mauro Francis says he didn't have any issues with his luggage but ended up losing his Apple AirPods on an Air Canada flight out of Vancouver International Airport to Seattle International Airport on Jan. 5.
While the Vancouver traveller isn't sure exactly when he misplaced them, he thinks he may have dropped them while boarding the plane.
AirPods use similar technology as Apple AirTags, allowing users to keep track of their belongings through its "Find My app" feature.
"I was sitting in the plane and when I checked [on my phone] they were within 100 metres," he told Vancouver Is Awesome.
After he saw their location on his phone, however, Francis said the AirPods were then taken from the airport to an address in Auburn, Washington. The following day the AirTags were apparently brought back to the airport.
"When [they] went back to the airport while I was [in] downtown Seattle, it got interesting. The whole day it went back and forth between the Air Canada baggage check-in area, to the Air Canada south terminal," he explained.
Seems my Airpods lost on my @AirCanada flight at @SeaTacAirport were picked up..
— Mauro Francis (@MauroAFrancis) January 9, 2023
Tracked at the Airport on Friday, then on Saturday to an address in Auburn, WA
Magically on Sunday it’s back and forth between terminals.
Basically, an @AirCanada employee took my headphones, fun! pic.twitter.com/j0mhT13jEs
Francis flew back home after attending a Jan. 8 retreat for the creation of a North American coalition on homelessness and addiction. He filed a report with Air Canada before he left.
V.I.A. has reached out to Air Canada for comment and will update the story.