ON NATIONAL LOST & FOUND DAY, LAX ANNOUNCES NEW TECHNOLOGY TO REUNITE GUESTS WITH THEIR MISPLACED BELONGINGS

12/13/2019 08:00 AM

LAX operates one of the busiest Lost and Found offices, with up to 30,000
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Dec. 13, 2019

Contact:
LAX Public Relations
(424) 646-5260

ON NATIONAL LOST & FOUND DAY, LAX ANNOUNCES NEW TECHNOLOGY TO REUNITE GUESTS WITH THEIR MISPLACED BELONGINGS

LAX operates one of the busiest Lost and Found offices,
with up to 30,000 items waiting for owners

Missing something? If you left your items behind at LAX, the airport has a new online system for finding and claiming some of the most valuable items we find, including laptops, tablets, phones and bags.

(Los Angeles, CA) 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.

Lost something at LAX?

About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)
About Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) LAX, the fourth-busiest airport in the world and second busiest in the United States, was named a top-10 U.S. airport by SKYTRAX. LAX served more than 87.5 million passengers in 2018 and offers an average of 700 daily nonstop flights to 109 cities in the U.S. and 1,281 weekly nonstop flights to 93 markets in 47 countries on 69 commercial airlines. LAX ranks 10th in the world in air cargo tonnage processed, with more than 2.4 million tons of air cargo. LAX handled 707,883 operations (landings and takeoffs) in 2018.

LAX generated 620,600 jobs in Southern California, with labor income of $37.3 billion and economic output (business revenues) of more than $126.6 billion, according to an economic study based on 2014 operations. This activity added $6.2 billion to local and state revenues and $8.7 billion in federal tax revenues. The study also reported that LAX’s ongoing capital improvement program creates an additional 121,640 annual jobs with labor income of $7.6 billion and economic output of $20.3 billion; $966 million in state and local taxes; and $1.6 billion in federal tax revenues.

LAX was honored as having the “Best Overall Customer Service Program” by Airports Council International-North America; named the “Best Airport for Breastfeeding Moms” by Mamava; selected for the Top 10 “Best of the U.S.’s Big Airports” (Wall Street Journal) and “Most Pet-Friendly Airports in the U.S. (Mental Floss); named the second-most improved airport in the U.S. by JD Power; received an “Innovation Award” from the L.A. Better Business Challenge for its Central Utility Plant; and named a “Business Leader in Air Quality” by the South Coast Air Quality Management District.

LAX is also the second-most popular airport in the world to appear on Instagram, according to wego.com. LAX is part of a system of two Southern California airports – along with Van Nuys general aviation – that are owned and operated by Los Angeles World Airports, a proprietary department of the City of Los Angeles that receives no funding from the City’s general fund.

As a covered entity under Title II of the Americans with Disabilities Act, the City of Los Angeles does not discriminate on the basis of disability and, upon request, will provide reasonable accommodation to ensure equal access to its programs, services, and activities. Alternative formats in large print, braille, audio, and other forms (if possible) will be provided upon request.
 
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