Anyone left something on a plane at Gatwick and got it back their lost propertysystem?

Doshwaster

Gloomendoom wrote: »

Evidently.

I left my wallet on a plane while transiting at Singapore Changi. It was back in my hand within an hour of reporting it. Delivered by a policeman.

My wife managed to leave a jacket on the same plane but didn't realise until later. It was found but she had to go back and collect it in person. They wouldn't send it. Luckily we were were going back the following month.

Once something is left on a plane I just assume that it is lost for good and has gone to the same place that odd socks and all of my pens go to. The airline will blame the airport and the airport will blame the airline and everyone will blame subcontractors.

The only time I've had anything returned was on a German airline (can't remember which) where something I had left in my seat was waiting for me at the check-in desk for my return flight. I was staggered.

After losing a Kindle, more earphones than I could care to remember and (worst of all) a bottle of very expensive duty free whisky (you can be sure that was never handed in!), I now try double check everything before leaving my seat.

Gloomendoom

Doshwaster wrote: »

After losing a Kindle, more earphones than I could care to remember and (worst of all) a bottle of very expensive duty free whisky (you can be sure that was never handed in!), I now try double check everything before leaving my seat.

You and me both! My wife's coat was forgotten because, during the night, one of the cabin staff had moved it from the overhead locker where my wife had placed it to another one further down the plane.

I did once get something back that had been left on a plane at Birmingham. I think it took six whole weeks in the "system" to get to the point where it could be collected.

giraffe69

I left a laptop on a BA flight, remembered quickly but was not allowed back to the plane. Reported it to BA whose flight it was and they got someone to go and pick it up whilst I was collecting my bags. First class service from them.

Westin

eDicky wrote: »

Well, I take back my comment that the system probably works if an item is handed in.

Let's face it, honesty is rare among British airport staff who have access to belongings, luggage etc. Other countries vary.
This means that the cleaners would have found it, the crew don't linger.

I make a point of never putting anything in the seat pocket, where it's out of sight and can be easily forgotten when disembarking.

Sorry, I think this is unfair and you are tarring the many from hearsay of the few.

Allow me to place another side to the issue.

The operating flight crew will normally be off the aircraft fairly quickly after the last passengers deplane. They may spot larger items of property that have been left but not items left in seat pockets or dropped on the floor. Crew will hand in obvious items to the handling agent’s turnaround coordinator/flight dispatcher.

Cleaning staff will board (unless a LCC or aircraft on short turn around) and the process should be that any items found will be handed to their supervisor who in turn hands to the turnaround coordinator/flight dispatcher. Questionable items left behind like books will likely get binned. As will food. Obvious finds should be handled in to the ground team.

Now the issue - I know staff from two handling agents at Gatwick who then have to process lost items. They are expected to take the items to the agency lost property office in the south terminal. This is not during their duty time but after they finish work. Now after an 8 or 12 hour shift this might be done but I think hopefully it can be seen that this is rather a big ask to do regularly and why sometimes items are not taken there for a few days or logged immediately. An I-phone will likely be handed in, a paperback book probably not.

Once items are at the third party left luggage area they are stored and await claiming. Those who have lost items which are subsequently recovered are charged for the storage/recovery.

Now is this all fair? Is this the best process? Is this customer focused? Probably not. It would be great to have spare staff to run found items straight to lost property. Ditto to be proactive in returning items to passengers. Perhaps also not charging passengers for the privilege of getting their property back...but we all chase cheap air travel and all those nice to have service elements have been cut back or out. No one wants to pay for that. Staff are often pressurised with multiple work loads and the airport has outsourced many aspects.

Far from ideal but I don’t think it far to suggest all airport staff are corrupt when it comes to passengers leaving items on aircraft.

Ganga

Westin wrote: »

Sorry, I think this is unfair and you are tarring the many from hearsay of the few.

Allow me to place another side to the issue.

The operating flight crew will normally be off the aircraft fairly quickly after the last passengers deplane. They may spot larger items of property that have been left but not items left in seat pockets or dropped on the floor. Crew will hand in obvious items to the handling agent’s turnaround coordinator/flight dispatcher.

Cleaning staff will board (unless a LCC or aircraft on short turn around) and the process should be that any items found will be handed to their supervisor who in turn hands to the turnaround coordinator/flight dispatcher. Questionable items left behind like books will likely get binned. As will food. Obvious finds should be handled in to the ground team.

Now the issue - I know staff from two handling agents at Gatwick who then have to process lost items. They are expected to take the items to the agency lost property office in the south terminal. This is not during their duty time but after they finish work. Now after an 8 or 12 hour shift this might be done but I think hopefully it can be seen that this is rather a big ask to do regularly and why sometimes items are not taken there for a few days or logged immediately. An I-phone will likely be handed in, a paperback book probably not.

Once items are at the third party left luggage area they are stored and await claiming. Those who have lost items which are subsequently recovered are charged for the storage/recovery.

Now is this all fair? Is this the best process? Is this customer focused? Probably not. It would be great to have spare staff to run found items straight to lost property. Ditto to be proactive in returning items to passengers. Perhaps also not charging passengers for the privilege of getting their property back...but we all chase cheap air travel and all those nice to have service elements have been cut back or out. No one wants to pay for that. Staff are often pressurised with multiple work loads and the airport has outsourced many aspects.

Far from ideal but I don’t think it far to suggest all airport staff are corrupt when it comes to passengers leaving items on aircraft.

I agree with the above ( highlited ):T

hollydays

Some years ago I enquired about some lost property, I don't remember which airport it was.
I was literally told" nothing is ever handed in"!!

PompeyPete

Ganga wrote: »

I agree with the above ( highlited ):T

Add my name to that.

It's not as though the Cabin Manager doesn't make it LOUD AND CLEAR over the broadcast that passengers should check that they aren't going to leave anything on the aircraft.

eDicky

Westin wrote: »

Sorry, I think this is unfair and you are tarring the many from hearsay of the few.

Allow me to place another side to the issue.

Thanks for the background, interesting.

However, the answer to the OP's question, so far at least, seems to be a resounding "No".

BTW I was not including cabin crew among workers who normally have access to passengers' belongings and in general lack honesty when opportunities arise.

The tendency for airport authorities to invest in glitzy shopping concourses to increase profits but neglect passenger comfort and outsource a service such as lost property to an unregulated commercial firm could also be considered a kind of dishonesty. British airports are constantly increasing their revenue in various ways, but service levels for users are rarely maintained or improved.

littlerock

BTW it wasn't left in the seat pocket but was in his jacket pocket which he had over his arm and must have slipped onto the seat or possibly floor as he left the plane. He had texted his wife just before that, once the plane landed. His tracker was still reporting it on the plane 2 hours later before the battery ran out.

He did not realise it was missing until he had left the concourse. He at once phoned BA (whose flight it was) who told him they do not have a lost property service at Gatwick, all found items are passed to the onebaggage service, a private company who handle all lost property across Gatwick airport. They record it and reunite it with owners if they identify a match. There is a charge for this. He phoned them the same day, and again the following Monday (it was left on a Friday and they said to try again after the weekend) and then on the following Wednesday and Friday. Each time they said no phones had been found and by the following Friday they said only one lost phone had been found and handed in, not his.

My sister in law said the consumer show she saw said claimed the firm routinely did not record lost items and just collected them and sold them. Their statistics on reunited items seems very open to abuse as does the whole thing. The system is different at Heathrow where found items are recorded on an online database to be identified.

katejo

littlerock wrote: »

My son left his phone on the plane at at Gatwick, after arriving from the US. The official lost property system at Gatwick seems worse than useless basically you have to report it, wait for them to locate it and match it to your report then get in touch to return it. Only stage 1 seems to work. Sine he lost it I have mentioned it to friends and they all jeer and say the losr property system at Gatwick does not work. Period. Anyone used it successfully?

I was lucky several years ago. While on the plane, my old Nokia phone slipped out of my hand and under the temporary flooring (which had been fitted to convert it to a passenger plane). I reported it to cabin staff who said that the temp floor would be removed the next day and took my details. A day or two later I got a call from a member of airline staff who had found the phone. His wife just happened to work in Central London near my workplace. She kindly dropped the phone off at reception a couple of days later.