AirTags are not the only product that can help travelers and passengers locate their missing items. An Apple Watch strapped to a woman’s wrist helped prove that her luggage was stolen when she took a trip with Spirit Airlines. Of course, to ensure that the item is located properly, it needs to belong to Apple, too. Thankfully for the passenger, that is exactly what she was carrying with her.
Spirit Airlines reportedly said that they would send the misplaced luggage to the owner’s home address, suggesting that they did not admit that the expensive items were stolen
Paola Garcia had to endure a 2-hour wait at Carousel 4 inside Terminal 4 at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, with Local10 News and AppleInsider reporting that a pink-hard-shell suitcase had gone missing. While there must have been several items, a MacBook, iPad, and two Apple Watches were a part of the package. Initially, Spirit Airlines did not admit that the items had been stolen and instead informed the passenger that her luggage would be delivered to Garcia at her home address after they took the required details from her.
The following day, Garcia started receiving alerts from her Apple Watch, informing her of the location of her missing items, likely through the Find My network. However, the origin of the signal was not the airport but a location that was estimated to be 15 minutes away from it. Naturally, Garcia’s first instinct would have been to visit the premises, as she believed that Spirit Airlines had delivered her luggage to another location.
When she arrived at the area, she noticed several suitcases littered all over the place, so she recorded videos as proof and dialed 911. While the police reprimanded Garcia for pursuing her stolen luggage, as that placed her in a dangerous position, reinforcements later arrived and discovered that a man named Junior Bazile, who worked for a company that operates retail stores inside FLL, had stolen the items.
Security camera footage revealed that Bazile was searching Garcia’s suitcase and taking out the valuable items, including the MacBook. Unfortunately, before the thief was taken into custody, he had apparently disposed of most of the belongings, but not before the Apple Watch pinged her about the location. Spirit Airlines made the following statement and offered Garcia compensation for her stolen items, but surprisingly, the company did not take any responsibility for the incident.
“We issued a reimbursement check to the guest as a courtesy, even though we are not currently aware of any evidence that any Spirit employee was involved. We take any allegation of this nature seriously, and we are investigating.”
Garcia personally believes that Bazile could not have been working alone as it would have taken a sufficient amount of time to remove all the suitcases and sift through the expensive belongings. The report does not mention whether additional investigation will be pushed, but at least we know that having an Apple Watch strapped to your wrist is an excellent tool for locating missing or stolen items.
News Source: Local10
About the author: Omar Sohail is a reporter and analyst for Wccftech's mobile section, specializing in the technology and business of the mobile industry. His expertise lies in the intricate hardware supply chain, covering developments in semiconductor manufacturing, chip lithography, and camera sensor technology.
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