From the CNN article:
”Of course, everyone’s gadgets are precious, but Hayden’s AirPods hold particular significance – they’re her link to her husband, who calls her from his deployment on such a bad line that she needs them to hear him.“
The OP obviously had other options, perhaps just not at the moment they went missing.
You gotta give credit for her tenacity!
DEN
This person left her personal items, unattended on an airplane and now it’s acting like a toddler, but not being responsible for her own actions.
And a link to her husband? Well, then go buy another pair sweetheart!