I left my laptop on a flight. This is how I got it back in 24 hours

It’s one of the worst feelings in the world: suddenly realizing that you’ve left something valuable behind. In my case, it was my work laptop, and that sinking feeling hit me when I realized it wasn’t in my backpack when I got home after a recent flight from Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

I quickly realized I had kept it in my seat pocket on my Delta Air Lines flight to New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA). Yuck.

Immediately, I began analyzing my options for what to do next. I thought, “Maybe I should call my office to get a replacement,” but then I wondered if maybe a good Samaritan could hand it to the Delta gate agent, and that would end up being unnecessary. I knew that was overly optimistic, but my optimism turned out to be justified after all.

So instead of calling my company, I called Delta customer service. I had a very helpful agent tell me that he was sending a message to the LGA ground staff to keep an eye on my laptop. He suggested I also open a lost item report file at Delta. Lost and Found Website.

He patiently guided me through all the steps to submit the report. It’s pretty simple; Once you complete all three screens, a lost item report number will be generated.

Within minutes, I received an email from the Delta Air Lines Lost Item Recovery team that said, “You have lost something important to you and we are dedicated to helping you find it. We will search our inventory of items and contact you if we find something that matches your description. If we find your item, we will provide you with a link that will guide you through the shipping and payment process so we can reunite you and your lost item quickly.”

Delta said the lost item ticket would remain open for the next three weeks and “we will work hard to find your lost item and provide you with email updates along the way.”

At the time, I didn’t expect to see my laptop again, but I was pleasantly surprised.

The next morning, on my way to the office (with my backup personal computer in tow), I received a call from a phone number not listed on my phone. For once I responded and I’m glad I did. A young man named Francis was on the other end of the line and he had great news for me. Someone had found my laptop and made it a lost and found item in LGA!

Mind you, this was only 14 hours after I first called about my article. Delta also sent me an email that same morning to inform me that my item had been recovered:

“Good news! We have located an item that closely matches the description of the reported lost item. To the best of our ability, we have verified that the item matching your lost report is in fact your item, and we would now like to return it to you as soon as possible.”

That’s amazing. I was very grateful and grateful.

Francis told me I could pick up the laptop in person or pay to have it delivered. I happened to have a flight later that week from LGA, so I said I’d save it, I’d pick it up and thank him in person.

I arrived bright and early at Delta’s fancy new Baggage Service Office in LaGuardia and met Francis and his entire team.

That turned into a great day and a moment of extraordinary service by Delta.

What to do if you leave an item on a plane or at the airport

It’s happened to almost everyone I know who travels frequently. Lost phones, Kindles, iPads, chargers, passports… the list goes on, but here are some of our best tips for when you forget something:

• If you notice at the airport, go back to the gate if you can. Most of the time, you will not be able to return to the plane, but you can ask a gate agent to help you locate the lost item if the plane is still at the gate.
• If you cleared customs or cannot return to the gate, ask an airline employee for help. I once left my phone in a bathroom at London Heathrow International Airport (LHR). It had already cleared customs, so I couldn’t return to the place where I left it. Instead, I went to the Virgin Atlantic arrivals hall and the employees called a colleague on the other side of security and were able to retrieve my phone.
• You can also visit the lost baggage claim area to report any lost items.
• Try messaging the airline via Instagram, X, or the chat feature in their app. The quicker you report a missing item, the better.
• If the item is manufactured by Apple, you can try using the “Find My” feature to track your item.
• Finally, do what I did and call the airline directly to find out the process for reporting lost items. Most major airlines have online forms, like the one I described from Delta.
• You may also need to file a police report in some cases.
• If you have lost your passport, you may need to obtain a new one and report the old one as lost or stolen. We have a complete guide on what to do in that case here.

If all else fails and your item really is gone forever, check if you can use the purchase protection which comes with some credit cards in order to get a refund for the cost of the item. You may have some protection. for cell phones, for example, depending on how you pay your monthly cell phone bill.

In a nutshell

All is not lost just because you left an item on the plane or at the airport. My story had a happy ending, and yours could too, as long as you act quickly and use all the tools at your disposal.

Related reading: