From wallets and purses to laptops and teddy bears, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) has a new way to reconnect airport guests with lost belongings.
LAX, the second-busiest airport in the United States, receives an average of 5,000 to 7,000 items each month at the airport’s Lost and Found office. Managed by the Los Angeles Airport Police Department, the LAX Lost and Found is a warehouse filled with tens of thousands of items left behind by airport visitors. With recovered items kept for at least 90 days in the hope of finding their owners, Airport Police stores up to 30,000 individual items on any given day.
In an effort to help more of those personal belongings make it home, LAX has implemented an online system to help travelers identify lost items, file claims and recover their property.
“LAX is increasingly investing in technology and new innovations to help improve the overall guest experience, and Lost and Found is another touchpoint where we can utilize technology to help people reunite with a beloved stuffed animal, computer and more,” said Barbara Yamamoto, Director of Guest Experience and Innovation, Los Angeles World Airports.
The system, which is available at FlyLAX.com, provides an easy-to-use online portal that allows anyone to search through select items recovered at the airport. Owners can file a claim immediately for an item by including as much information as possible about the location, date, time and unique characteristics of the item – such as a password or other identifying information – that can help police and claims processors confirm ownership. Once filed, claims processors will verify the claim against the item and, if a match is made, notify the owner and provide instructions for pickup or provide options for shipping the item to their door.
LAX also has a direct partnership with TSA to collect items left behind at screening locations within the central airport Lost and Found. That system helps simplify the process for airport guests by providing a one-stop location to look for most lost items. LAX Lost and Found collects and processes items found anywhere on airport property, with the exception of items left onboard aircraft, within the U.S. Customs and Border Protection areas, or rental car facilities, which are the responsibility of those organizations.
The centralized system also means LAX has one of the largest and busiest airport Lost and Found departments in the country, recovering up to 230 items per day from the airport’s nine terminals.
“Airports are dynamic environments and people are often in a rush or simply forgot to take an item from a security checkpoint, gate area or restaurant,” said Los Angeles Airport Police Capt. Michael Scolaro, who heads the Lost and Found office. “We do everything we can to help get lost items back to their owners, and the addition of an online LAX Lost and Found will help streamline the process for our guests and claims processors alike.”
Recovered items are kept for at least 90 days before being sent to the City of Los Angeles’ auction site fpr unclaimed property, the Salvation Army or Goodwill. However, the airport does all it can to get items back to their owners.
Some of the most common items recovered by LAX Lost and Found include laptops and tablets, belts, wallets and clothing. Some of the more unique items recovered include a chainsaw, surfboards, a big-screen TV, a single shoe and an oversized teddy bear.
Quelle: Los Angeles Worlds Airport
