Years ago, in the early 2000s, I worked for America West Airlines at the CHQ in Tempe, AZ. While at the nearby reservation center for a meeting once, someone asked, "do you want to see the lost baggage area?" Of course I said yes.
Just going into that area, the smell was horrible. I was in a hallway, there were reinforced office doors (locked), with narrow windows, and I was able to peer inside. There were rooms with luggage arranged on shelves. Then there was a room with bins that had all of the other items...cell phones, keys, wallets, makeup, inhalers, it was rather shocking all of the loose items, but they were all sorted and put into bins with like items together. Now this was before nearly everyone had their own phone, yet there were still tons of phones.

Whenever I leave an aircraft, I think of that lost articles area, and do a check of myself...wallet, phone, passport (if I'm overseas), sunglasses, etc. I'm sure I've still lost a few items, but seeing all of that stuff just sitting there has left memories that I hope I never have to deal with.


Earlier this year, I flew on a Qantas domestic flight. By the time I got up to the gate agent, I realized I had left my sunglasses on the aircraft. She told me I could go back and check. It took some time, swimming upstream against the current of passengers leaving. When I got to the plane itself, I told the crew member there, and he said everyone was almost gone. The cleaners had just gone past where I was sitting, and I assumed they had taken them (or another passenger had). But sure enough, I got to the seat, and the sunglasses were sitting right there, kind of hidden by the seatbelt. I was so thankful that I went back.
And since I had checked a bag, this didn't really hold me up at all. I walked down to baggage claim almost right as my bag came out.