Lost and found at the airport: how to retrieve what you forgot
Items lost at the airport or forgotten on planes are the nightmare of many. Have you ever happened to arrive at [...]
The lost and found at the airport or forgotten on airplanes are the nightmare of many. Have you ever arrived at your destination and realized you left your charger in the overhead compartment? Or getting off the plane and realizing you forgot your backpack under the seat? It happens to everyone. The good news is that recovering a lost item is possible if you know your way around.
In this article:
First of all: there is a difference between items lost at the airport and forget it on board the plane. It changes who deals with it and where you need to address it. If you are in the midst of this situation or are just worried that this might happen to you, read on to find out what to do about it.
Where you left the object
If you have left something in the airport terminals, your wallet at the bar, your jacket in the waiting room, you should turn to theLost & Found office which collects everything found in public areas. It is usually located in the arrivals area near the baggage belts.
If, on the other hand, you left something aboard the plane, the items are delivered by the crew to the handling companies at the arrival airport, the ones that handle ground handling for the airlines. Each company has its own handling company, and you will need to contact that specific one.
The procedure as soon as you notice the loss
Let's say you have just landed and as you exit the plane you realize you left your headphones in the seat pocket. What do you do? First thing: Don't panic and think "it's lost now." The correct procedure is to head straight for the Lost & Found desk at the airport, the one in the arrivals area near the baggage belts.
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There you will have to fill in a form with your data, a detailed description of the object (brand, color, special features), the flight number and date. The more details you provide, the better. If you lost a black iPhone, specify the model, whether it had a special cover, any stickers. Leave your updated contact information: phone number and email where they can contact you, as listed on the Aeroporti di Roma website.
If the object was found by the crew, Will be catalogued and set aside. At this point there are two options: if you are still at or near the airport, you can wait a few hours and go pick it up. If, on the other hand, you are already far away or have to catch a connecting flight, you can request that they send it to your home.
Custody times
Once found and catalogued, your item does not stay there forever. Airports store lost and found items for periods ranging from 30 days up to a year.
The first 30 days the item remains easily accessible. Then it is moved to a long-term storage facility where it can remain for up to 12 months. After that time, if no one has claimed it, the item becomes state property and goes to public auction. Yes: those suitcases, cell phones, watches that no one came to collect are sold in special auctions that are organized periodically.
Airlines and their rules
Not all companies are the same when it comes to items forgotten on board. Some are very cooperative, others wash their hands of it completely. Ryanair, for example, has a rather strict policy: it takes no responsibility for items forgotten on board. If you leave something on a plane with Ryanair, you are the one who has to take action by contacting the lost and found at your destination airport. On their website you will find a table with all the contacts of the airports where they operate, but don't expect them to look for you.
Traditional companies such as ITA Airways or Lufthansa generally have more structured services, with dedicated online forms and staff who contact you if they find your item. Some even have you fill out a form on their website where you can track the status of your search.
Vueling keep found items for up to one month from the date they are found, after which they dispose of them. Perishables are thrown away the next day, so if you left a sandwich just forget about it.
Documents and valuables
If you have lost IDs (ID card, passport, driver's license), these are given directly to airport authorities or border police, not to the regular Lost & Found where other lost and found items arrive at the airport.
The same for items of particularly high value. They are kept more securely and require a strict identification procedure for return. If you lose your passport at the airport, in addition to reporting it to Lost & Found you must report it to the airport police and contact the consulate if you are abroad.
How to increase the chances of recovering lost items at the airport
Always put alabel with name and address on everything whether it's suitcases, backpacks, or laptop bags. It costs zero and greatly increases the chances of recovery. Take photos of your items before you leave. If you have to describe your black backpack at Lost & Found, it is much easier to show a photo than to describe it in words.
Always check everything before getting off the plane. In the rush to catch connecting flights, most people forget stuff in the seat pocket or hat box. Make a round of checking before you leave.
In addition, today we get I meet the technology. For example, you can equip yourself with trackers that you can attach to your suitcases or slip into your wallet to locate your items in real time via smartphone. They are small, lightweight devices and easy operation. The most famous is theApple AirTag, which works with iPhone via Apple's "Where's" network.. If you forget your backpack at the airport, see on the map where it is. The .
There are also alternatives compatible with both Android and iOs systems, like the sets proposed by Atuvos. Some models have a speaker that you can play from the app to locate the item nearby. The benefit is twofold: you can see right away where the lost item is and report it to Lost & Found accurately. And if someone finds it, some models show a phone number on their smartphone.
You buy them easily online, they cost only a few handfuls of euros and are often found discounted. The battery in these devices lasts for a year or more. A small investment that can save you time and stress.
The costs of retrieving lost and found at the airport
Recovering a lost item is not always free. Some airports charge fees for search and custody services. Vienna Airport, for example, charges 5 euros for find fees, plus a daily fee from the eighth day. Home shipping is almost always charged: from 15-20 euros for domestic shipments to 50-60 euros for international ones. So if you forgot a 10 euro charger, it might not be worth spending 30 euro to have it shipped.
What to do with lost luggage
Warning: do not confuse forgotten items with baggage that has not arrived. If your checked baggage does not leave the belt, you must fill out a Property Irregularity Report (PIR) form at the Lost & Found desk, but it is handled by the airline.
It is good to remember that you have 21 days to see if it is found. After this period it is considered lost and you can start the claim, which can be up to about 1,600 euros according to the Montreal Convention, as stipulated by the Civil Aviation Authority. However, stipulating a travel insurance like Heymondo which also covers the eventuality of lost luggage is perhaps the most cost-effective move.
Better prevention than recovery
Forgetting items at the airport happens to thousands of people every day. The difference between getting them back or losing them forever is knowing where to go and what to do in the first few minutes.
Lost & Found offices exist for just that. Just don't wait too long, provide a detailed description and leave updated contact information. Recovering a lost item is possible, but much better not to lose it at all.
