Lost and Found - recovery success rate?
Jan 21, 2015, 1:15 pm
#16
Join Date: Apr 2013
Location: FLL ✈ ZRH ✈ MSP ✈✈✈✈
Programs: AMEX DL Reserve ✈ DL Diamond Medallion ✈ Marriott ✈ NWA
Posts: 156
When we came back from SEA 2 years ago. While in SEA we went to the original Starbucks and my wife got a original coffee cup. Anyway, we had left a new Starbucks coffee cup that was still in the box in the plane. We got off our flight at FLL (it was the last flight of the night at FLL). We had just passed the Security checkpoint when you depart the gate areas. That is when we realized that we left it on the plane. We immediately went to the lost and found explained what happened. Lost and found called the gate. They searched our area we were in on our flight and advised they couldn't find it, that the cleaning crew probably threw it out. I mentioned that it was heavy and still in the Starbucks box.
They took my cell # and said they'll call if they find it. Just as we were getting on the shuttle to our car, I received a call from DL lost and found and said they found it. The cleaning crew had thrown it out. We only got the coffee cup and there was no box that it came in. They said thats how they got it from the cleaning crew.
Recovered. Success
They took my cell # and said they'll call if they find it. Just as we were getting on the shuttle to our car, I received a call from DL lost and found and said they found it. The cleaning crew had thrown it out. We only got the coffee cup and there was no box that it came in. They said thats how they got it from the cleaning crew.
Recovered. Success
Jan 21, 2015, 3:22 pm
#18
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Motown
Programs: DL, WN, AA, IHG Diamond, Hertz 5*
Posts: 3,408
Something to keep in mind is that recovering an item off a mainline flight may be easier than if lost on an rj. A lot of mainline flights do immediate turnarounds between hub and spoke airports, whereas rjs fly a more circuitous route, say MBS-DTW-ORD-MSP all in one day. Your item could be anywhere if you were on one of those earlier flights.
I left my phone on a plane at DTW a few years ago. Didn't file a report, but asked at the baggage claim office a few days later and they had it!
I left my phone on a plane at DTW a few years ago. Didn't file a report, but asked at the baggage claim office a few days later and they had it!
Jan 21, 2015, 3:36 pm
#19
Join Date: Feb 2007
Location: Somewhere in the sky or a Marriott
Programs: 7mm DM, FC, Marriott PM (lifetime), HH Diamond
Posts: 749
My wife left hers on an ANC to SEA flight. WE overnighted in SEA and she reported it when we got to the baggage claim. The flight had not left, but they couldn't locate it. She couldn't use the ping locater b/c it doesn't have cellular and obviously wasn't connected to WIFI. She did put in a lost message and lock command so that when connected to WIFI it would lock.
Over a month later she got an email from Delta that an iPad her email address on it had been found. Apparently it turned up and when turned on and wasn't connected to WIFI they looked at the email and found her address. She paid for it to be Fed Exed back to her. Funny thing is the original lost report was never part of it being found she had to file another report. She thinks it fell between the seats in 1st class and so it probably stayed there a while.
On another note, she left her iPhone in an ATL SC the year before in route to Alaska. She pinged it and a SC employee picked it up. When she called to report it lost in route they located it for her and held it until she picked it up on the way back.
Over a month later she got an email from Delta that an iPad her email address on it had been found. Apparently it turned up and when turned on and wasn't connected to WIFI they looked at the email and found her address. She paid for it to be Fed Exed back to her. Funny thing is the original lost report was never part of it being found she had to file another report. She thinks it fell between the seats in 1st class and so it probably stayed there a while.
On another note, she left her iPhone in an ATL SC the year before in route to Alaska. She pinged it and a SC employee picked it up. When she called to report it lost in route they located it for her and held it until she picked it up on the way back.
Mar 27, 2015, 2:02 pm
#20
Join Date: Apr 2007
Posts: 1,857
So it sounds like we've got a few people with some experience in this area. Did any of you ever get a direct phone number for the ATL lost & found? We ended up getting off a flight ATL-LIM without a Kindle. Filed a report, and checked back with the airport staff when we were there a couple days later. The LIM staff was great - they spent half an hour looking everywhere for it, and even came back with a Kindle, although it wasn't ours.
They suggested that it may have stayed on the plane and made the return trip to ATL. I'm having a hard time finding any kind of number that will put me in touch with someone on the ground in ATL, especially the lost & found people.
They suggested that it may have stayed on the plane and made the return trip to ATL. I'm having a hard time finding any kind of number that will put me in touch with someone on the ground in ATL, especially the lost & found people.
May 11, 2016, 10:48 am
#21
Join Date: Jul 2007
Location: ATL
Programs: DL DM 1.77MM, Marriott LT Plat
Posts: 2,782
I wanted to provide a personal anecdote on this. TLDR, there is hope, just submit as much detail as possible.
So, I managed to leave my iPad mini on my flight back from FTU a few weeks ago (pretty sure it was in the seatback pocket), and of course, I didn't notice it until a couple of days later.
5/3: I submitted the info via the DL website and provided a lot of detail, including the serial # from the original box.
5/5-5/9: a couple of system-generated emails updating me that they were still searching.
5/10: received an email that they had indeed found it, and I was presented with shipping options.
5/11: iPad back in my possession, and I'm now going through the fun of restoring it (UGH) as I had remotely erased it.
I have to say that I'm very pleasantly surprised with how efficient the whole process was.
So, I managed to leave my iPad mini on my flight back from FTU a few weeks ago (pretty sure it was in the seatback pocket), and of course, I didn't notice it until a couple of days later.
5/3: I submitted the info via the DL website and provided a lot of detail, including the serial # from the original box.
5/5-5/9: a couple of system-generated emails updating me that they were still searching.
5/10: received an email that they had indeed found it, and I was presented with shipping options.
5/11: iPad back in my possession, and I'm now going through the fun of restoring it (UGH) as I had remotely erased it.
I have to say that I'm very pleasantly surprised with how efficient the whole process was.
May 11, 2016, 8:48 pm
#22
Join Date: Nov 2013
Programs: DL PM
Posts: 1,089
Left my laptop under the seat on a flight a few weeks ago @ CVG.
Realized it the morning after. Called DL, they said fill out the online form. Needed it for a meeting that day, so figured I'd try my luck at the airport.
Started at the checkin counter. They didn't have it, sent me to the baggage office. Baggage office didn't have it, but offered to call the airport police. Said they sometime get lost and found items.
Sure enough, they had it! Walked over and recovered it. Cleaning crew found it on the plane and turned it in.
Few months before that, left my wallet on the seat (fell out of my pocket).
They paged me. Heard it, went back up stairs. Redcoat walked it out of security and returned it to me.
So, I'm 2/2 :-)
Realized it the morning after. Called DL, they said fill out the online form. Needed it for a meeting that day, so figured I'd try my luck at the airport.
Started at the checkin counter. They didn't have it, sent me to the baggage office. Baggage office didn't have it, but offered to call the airport police. Said they sometime get lost and found items.
Sure enough, they had it! Walked over and recovered it. Cleaning crew found it on the plane and turned it in.
Few months before that, left my wallet on the seat (fell out of my pocket).
They paged me. Heard it, went back up stairs. Redcoat walked it out of security and returned it to me.
So, I'm 2/2 :-)
May 12, 2016, 3:56 am
#23
Join Date: Dec 2009
Programs: DL DM, Bonvoy Titanium
Posts: 233
I'm losing faith l about getting my Bose Headphones back that my wife had squirreled under the seat from ATL-CDG. Delta's lostandfound.aero service just emails me every few days to say they still haven't found it yet "after a full week of hunting"... But after reading this, I filled out the airport's lost property form for CDG just in case someone took it off with them and turned it in.
May 12, 2016, 4:46 am
#24
Join Date: May 2015
Location: ATL
Programs: DL DM, GOES
Posts: 711
On one of my 1st UG's, was a FO on a ATL-GPT mainline (that's Biloxi, since many probably won't recognize the code, which is probably why I got the UG, lol). There was a great FA who gave me a PDB, and 2 more quickly after. I finished my work after about 15 minutes after 10K, and put my MacBook Pro into it's black neoprene sleeve, and since I was window, didn't want to disturb my seatmate, placed it down between the fuselage and the seat stanchion in front of me. Lol... it was officially "lost" at that moment. Totally forgot about it. Swear it had nothing to do with the drinks!
DL frontline employees went above & beyond trying to contact GA's along the rest of that bird's stops that day, but no joy. 3 days later I got a call from DL Lost&Found saying they had it. It'd been found on an ATL concourse! I very much wanted to give official kudos to whoever turned it in, but no name on the attached note.
DL frontline employees went above & beyond trying to contact GA's along the rest of that bird's stops that day, but no joy. 3 days later I got a call from DL Lost&Found saying they had it. It'd been found on an ATL concourse! I very much wanted to give official kudos to whoever turned it in, but no name on the attached note.
May 12, 2016, 8:30 am
#25
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: SMF
Programs: DL DM, WN A-List, AA Gold, Hertz PC, Marriott Titanium
Posts: 212
I posted about this before but never the outcome; left my macbook at the gate desk at BWI while trying to get rebooked off a delayed flight. Discovered it when I arrived in ATL a few hours later. Immediately filed a report through the DL website and contacted BWI airport, and for the next 3 weeks I only got a "we're still looking" e-mail about once every 10 days. Then suddenly I got an email saying they found it, redirecting me to a website with shipping details and a few days later (it was the weekend) it was back in my possession.
Interestingly, it was shipped back from Madison, AL. I have no idea how it ended up there, or if that's just the standard return address for all DL lost & found items. The Fedex tracking did show it coming from Madison, so who knows.
Interestingly, it was shipped back from Madison, AL. I have no idea how it ended up there, or if that's just the standard return address for all DL lost & found items. The Fedex tracking did show it coming from Madison, so who knows.