This was my first thought too. Delta (or whoever) can provide you a $50 "Delta Tag" and partner with Apple to have access to the tracking data on that tag for t

This was my first thought too. Delta (or whoever) can provide you a $50 "Delta Tag" and partner with Apple to have access to the tracking data on that tag for the times around your flight. Combine it with a slip of paper actually placed inside the luggage (to prevent issues with external labels getting destroyed).