"Left On Board" form useless
 

They have a nice form for reporting items left on board, as advised by a phone agent when I called: https://www.alaskaair.com/leftonboard

When you fill it out, you even get a acknowledgement email.

However, the tablet my wife left in the seat pocket was not reunited with us by any process related to this form, but by the baggage office staffer in Orlando who turned on the tablet and found my contact info on the lock screen. When she called, I asked if she would close out the LOB report, and she said the baggage office folks don't have "permission" to even query that system, let alone update it.

I was so happy to hear from them at all, I had to leave it to later to discuss this broken process. What are they thinking at Alaska that the baggage staff at the airports aren't empowered to look into the lost item data base? A Galaxy Tab in a bright PURPLE case reported to be left on an inbound flight to Orlando on a certain date at a known gate is pretty distinctive and unique, I'd figure.

I understand being asked for a Fedex account number to send it back to us, but the LOB form just looks it's being dangled out there as false hope.

Identify your items with tags ON the item and case and on the lock screen, is my advice.

Ive been lucky. Left my laptop on twice in the last year and figured it out before the plane left. That does remind me, i need to figure out how to get them to close out my report.

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I've had luck with a netbook in AUS and a camera in PDX with AS ^

Actually that LOB form is VERY helpful. I am in charge of high value LOB's within the station I work for. I have reunited a ton of items with customers based on the customer filling out this form. And yes, we have the ability to close out the LOB form if the item is reunited with it's owner.

Sounds like it's an employee that just doesn't know how to access it. We can find all the filled out LOB forms within our personal work email.

....and yes...we can update these forms too.

Glad to hear you got your tablet.

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Compare this to DL's program :eek:

Left Bose headphones on a JetBlue flight to SEA a few months ago and they were never seen again despite multiple rapid calls to the airline's Sea-Tac and Boston (origin) lost-and-founds, and their national lost-and-found desk. You got lucky. Some aircraft cleaner is undoubtedly enjoying my Bose phones.

I once left a kindle on board and used the form. After 3 weeks of not hearing anything, I went out and bought a new one. Shortly thereafter I got an email that it had been "found". It worked out well for my daughter as she got her very own kindle.

Considering some airlines dont even care, I think AS does a pretty good job in this regard. Bottom line is pay attention and keep track of YOUR STUFF and dont leave it on board. Maybe its the ex military in me or Im asking too much but I double and triple check to be sure I have all my things when I deplane. I havent forgotten things on planes or in hotels ever. Again its probably an old military instilled habit ;)

Why would you blame it on cleaners? If you left it on a flight into Sea the planes are cleaned by the FAs and CSAs

I must say that over the years, AS has been amazing at finding and returning to me items I have left on board. A kindle, iPad, and laptop all were left by me over the years which is why I have a much better routine for storing and remembering my items while traveling. People do forget items, and I am one of them. I think AS's record of returning items is amazing.

Just the opposite of my experience with one rental car, I left my iPod classic in a black pouch with klipsch headphones. I discovered I left it in the back seat (black seat covering) of the rental car as soon as I got to the gate at the airport. (shuttle, BP on mobile phone, TSA Precheck, so I was at gate in less than 15 minutes) I called immediately and found the car had been already rented out. They did not "find" my iPod when they cleaned it, and when I called back the next day the woman said she talked to the renters and they did not see it either. She was very nice and apologetic, but my iPod was gone. I do not think this was necessarily indicative of this rental agency or all, it was just one time my item was not returned.

Very glad to hear that other stations use the form. MCO needs a bit of training, then. The person I talked to didn't sound like a noob, but she had been frozen out of the LOB form process for a while. I can understand how all they do is get beat upon, so my effuse thanks on the phone sounded like they perked her up.

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Not sure MCO has any AS agents based there- maybe a lead.

Even worse -- that means a JetBlue employee kept my headphones. I blame society.

I'll admit this is 1 of the few place that AS customer service has let me down. I was traveling EWR-SEA-ALW. When we landed in SEA and I stood up to exit my seat, my cell phone must have slid out of my pocket and onto my seat without me realizing it. I realized it was missing on the train between N and C gates, so I stopped by the AS customer service desk by gate C2 about 10 minutes after deplaning. First the CS rep didn't know how to call the N gate I landed at, then she got someone who was busy and said they didn't have time to check, but when the plane landed at the next destination they would check. I filled out the lost item form that day, but it's been 2 months and I haven't heard anything.

It really wasn't a big deal since I had a free upgrade available from Verizon (minus $30 upgrade fee), but overall I've found the CS desk gate C2 to be not very helpful most times I've gone there to ask for help.

C2 agents are actually Horizon