subject: If You Lose Property, Dont Panic [print this page] Any frequent flyer will be well acquainted with the potential pitfalls of air travel. Delays are a particular bugbear of many commuters, and its not always too pleasant to be stuck in an airport for hours on end while youre waiting for a flight.
You might also find yourself dashing through a terminal in the hope of catching a connection, which can be pretty stressful when youve already endured a lengthy journey just to get there. Its in this sort of situation where things go missing which just adds to the trauma even further. However, there are things you can do in this sort of situation, even though many people are still unaware of the options open to them.
Major international airports are usually huge passenger hubs, some of which play host to thousands of travellers each day so when belongings go missing, it can be pretty difficult if not near-impossible to retrace your steps effectively and work out where the might be. But if youre passing through an airport and you notice somethings gone missing, there is one course of action which proves fruitful for thousands of people. Simply seek out the nearest lost property office you can find and let them know whats happened.
The staff can then go about trying to find whatever it is youve lost, no matter what that object might be. Keys, phones, laptops and even luggage have a tendency to disappear at the least convenient juncture, but lost property kiosks generally keep a detailed inventory of items theyve had handed in to them. By consulting this inventory and seeing whether it matches against your description of the object youve lost, they can establish whether they already have what it is youre looking for.
There are, however, steps you can take to minimise the risk of this happening. While smaller objects are perhaps more likely to go missing by falling out of bags or pockets, you can reduce the likelihood of losing your luggage by making sure that its very clearly marked. A time-honoured method of mitigating this risk is by attaching a tag with your name and address on, so that airport authorities can go about returning your belongings to you once theyve been discovered.
Its also worth making sure you pay attention to your luggages individual characteristics, because this means you can give a more detailed description to the lost property bureau should it go missing somewhere along the line.
