United’s App Now Tracks the One Thing We All Hate: TSA Lines
New TSA Wait Time Tracker Now Available in the United Mobile App [PRNewsfoto/United Airlines]
Toggle Dark Mode
United is fairly unique among airlines for its eagerness to embrace new Apple device features. It was among the first to sign on to Apple’s AirTag lost luggage tracking in 2024, and went a step further than most by integrating the tool into its iPhone app to let passengers more easily share an AirTag inside a lost bag with United Airlines’ personnel. It also quickly rolled out support for new iOS 26 boarding passes last year and even streams Apple TV hits on its in-flight entertainment systems.
Now, it’s just released another big update, and while the headline is the new TSA tracker, United is also using the moment to highlight its recently added suite of tools, including its deep integration of Apple’s “Share Item Location” feature for AirTags.
Many savvy iPhone users have been tossing AirTags into their checked bags since the tracker first showed up in 2021, and it’s helped reunite quite a few folks with their lost luggage, whether it ends up at the wrong airport, is left sitting in the baggage hall, or ends up being stolen from the conveyor belt.
However, it was generally up to individual passengers to track their own luggage using the Find My app and then try to convince airline customer service agents of the whereabouts of their missing bags. That changed in late 2024, when Apple partnered with airlines to offer a seamless way of sharing AirTag locations. The feature let users create a link to a specific AirTag’s location directly from the Find My app and then provide that to the airline’s customer service, who could then presumably use it to track down the bag in question.
While there are now over three dozen airlines that can use these AirTag links to help locate your lost luggage, the process of submitting these varies widely, from filling out online web forms that are only sent out after initiating a phone call to customer service to direct integration in an airline’s app. United Airlines has done the latter, providing a space in the app’s standard delayed baggage report to paste the AirTag link, along with instructions on how to do so.
While “Share Item Location” arrived on iPhones in 2024, United’s latest PR push highlights how these “bag tracking enhancements” have become a core part of its travel ecosystem, working alongside the new security line data.
Still, while that’s a handy feature if you and your bags ever part company during a flight, this week’s United Airlines app update offers something that should be even more universally useful: tracking TSA wait times.
United’s award-winning mobile app will include estimated Transportation Security Administration (TSA) security wait times using data collected by the airline, a first-of-its-kind offering from a major U.S. airline. As part of a new pilot program, the feature provides regular wait time updates throughout the day, giving travelers timely information on airport security lines and helping them plan their travel with confidence.
United Airlines
That’s a critical addition that couldn’t be more timely, considering the ongoing partial US government shutdown that’s left many checkpoints understaffed. Time and tide wait for no one — and rarely does a United Airlines flight — so being held up by a longer than usual delay at clearing security could put a big dent in your holiday plans.
For its initial launch, security wait times will be available for the airline’s US hub airports in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York/Newark, San Francisco and Washington DC, and will include estimated times for specific lanes, both standard and TSA PreCheck.
“We appreciate the work and professionalism of our TSA agents, and while most began receiving back pay earlier this week, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security shutdown continues and people want to stay informed about expected security wait times at our airports,” said Jason Birnbaum, United’s Chief Information Officer. “Our customers rely on our mobile app for all their travel needs, and this new feature lets them know what to expect and better plan their trip.”
In addition to the wait times and AirTag luggage tracking, United’s app now also includes turn-by-turn directions to take you to your gate, with estimated walking times and information on whether United can hold a plane for travelers with extra-tight connections between flights.
