In Scottsboro, Alabama, there’s an “Unclaimed Baggage Center” store full of mink furs and iPads—items left on flights that were never claimed by their owners and now up for sale. As the New York Times writes, these items might have been intentionally ditched, forgotten or just ... lost.
Many airlines, including United and Alaska, have a 30-day policy on lost items, meaning they will actively search for passengers’ lost items up for up to a month. This week, Reader’s Digest offered some insight into the lost item process. If you’ve left something on a plane, it’s important to reach out to a gate agent and file a lost item claim, so you can be reunited with your stuff—just be sure to act quickly and be as descriptive as possible.
Speak to a gate agent immediately
If you’ve just exited your flight, only to discover you’ve left your carry-on in the overhead compartment bin, speak to a gate agent immediately; most likely, they can speak to a flight attendant or a cleaning crew member still on the plane to retrieve your bag.
As Reader’s Digest writes, you should provide your boarding pass, a seat number, a description of your bag, and where you left it last. Because of security restrictions, you won’t be able to re-enter the plane; if you’ve just arrived, however, it’s likely your bag will be retrieved.
Fill out a lost-item form at the airline’s baggage claim
Let’s say you’ve exited security or you’re on a connecting flight before you realize you’ve left your iPad in a seatback pocket. At your destination’s baggage claim, you should ask an attendant if it’s possible to obtain your bag if the plane hasn’t departed. If it has left, you should file a lost-item claim at the counter immediately, explaining that you’ve left something on board and a description of the item, including its brand, color, and size.
If it’s an electronic device, you should also provide a serial number to differentiate it from other similar, lost items. (You might be able to find a serial number for your device from a mobile phone provider; one writer on One Mile at a Time retrieved her lost iPad’s serial number by contacting Verizon.)
Several major airlines, including United, will also provide tracking information so you can check on your bag’s status. Depending on the airline, if your bag has been located, they’ll set-up a messenger or shipping service so you can be reunited.
“I did this exact same thing recently, with a Macbook Air on an international flight into LAX, and recovered it,” u/gc1 writes on a Reddit thread. “The flight crew found it and I was even able to organize a Taskrabbit to pick it up on the airport on my behalf.”
If you plan to file a claim, here are several airlines’ policies on lost items, recently compiled by Airfarewatchdog:
Alaska Airlines:
Send a lost item report with this link
.
Allegiant Air:
Complete a lost item form by clicking here
.
American Airlines:
Lost & Found landing page can be viewed here
.
Delta Air Lines:
Send a lost item report with this link
.
Frontier:
File a report for a lost item and FAQ’s can be viewed here
.
Hawaiian Airlines:
Central Baggage Services Office information here
.
JetBlue:
File a report for a lost item and FAQ’s can be found here
.
Southwest Airlines:
Report a lost item and FAQ’s can be seen here
.
Spirit Airlines:
Lost & Found landing page can be viewed here
.
United Airlines:
Instructions on missing item issues can be found here
.
Call the airline
If you’ve already arrived home before realizing your carry-on is still on board, first, you should call the baggage department at your arrival airport—there’s a chance your iPad could be sitting in the lost and found.
If that search is unsuccessful, you should call the airline to file a lost-item claim or file a report online. (You could also tweet at the airline’s account, but they’ll likely redirect you to their website or customer service phone number.)
While you wait, depending on the device, you could track it using apps like Find My Phone if that’s turned on; after you’ve filed a claim, you could also contact an airline to update your report with any additional details that might benefit the search.
And what happens if your item isn’t found? Well, it’s possible someone, somewhere in the world, is on your lost iPad at this moment and reading this very article. As we’ve mentioned, several airlines will actively search for your item for 30 days before finally calling off the dogs. Just be sure to file a claim as soon as possible, so the chances of your item’s recovery are higher, and don’t give up hope just yet.