Airport Lost and Found: How to Recover Something You Left Behind

Getting this right the first time matters, because the three systems don't talk to each other. Here's exactly who to contact for what.

First, figure out who has your item

This is the whole game. One airport has at least three separate lost-and-found systems, and reporting to the wrong one wastes the days that matter most.

Left at the security checkpoint (in a bin, at the scanner) → the screening authority. In the US that's the TSA, which runs lost and found separately at each airport, not a central office. Find the TSA lost-and-found contact for that specific airport on TSA's list.

Left in the terminal — a gate seat, a restroom, a restaurant, a shop, the floor → the airport's own lost and found, usually run by airport operations, airport police, or a contractor. At Los Angeles International, for example, Airport Police handle public areas (ticketing, gates, baggage claim, shops, parking) and explicitly do not collect TSA-checkpoint or onboard items.

Left on the aircraft — seat pocket, overhead bin, under the seat → the airline. This is a different process from a delayed or damaged checked bag (that's covered separately below).

A checked bag that didn't arrive → also the airline, but through its baggage service office, not lost and found. See the baggage section at the end.

If you genuinely don't know where you lost it, start with the airport's lost and found — they can often point you to the right desk. How to navigate an airport covers finding desks and signs once you're back in the terminal.

How to report it, step by step

1. Act immediately. The single biggest factor in getting something back is speed. Holding periods are short.
2. Find the right office's online form or phone number. Most airports and the TSA now take lost-item reports through an online form rather than in person. Search for "[airport name] lost and found" or use TSA's per-airport list for checkpoint items.
3. Describe the item in detail. Brand, colour, model, distinguishing marks, and exactly where and when you last had it. Vague descriptions ("a black bag") are hard to match; specific ones ("a black Samsonite carry-on, red ribbon on the handle, lost near gate B12 around 3pm") get results.
4. Give good contact details and keep any reference number you're issued.
5. Follow up. These offices are busy and won't always chase you. Check back.

How long do they keep things?

This is why speed matters. Holding periods vary by airport and by item. TSA checkpoint items are often held around 30 days at a given airport before they are disposed of. Airport-run offices set their own clocks — LAX Airport Police, for example, turn unclaimed articles over after 91 days. Perishables and low-value items go quickly. High-value items and ID may be held longer or handed to authorities.

Assume the clock is short and report the same day if you can. Confirm the holding period on that airport's own lost-and-found page.

Improve your odds before you even lose something

• Label your bags and devices inside and out, with a phone number or email. The DOT's own packing tips say a name and contact on the bag is what lets the airline reach you when a delayed bag turns up.
• Use a Bluetooth tracker (AirTag or similar) in bags and wallets — it turns "somewhere in the airport" into a location. Several airlines now accept a Share Item Location link on a delayed-bag report.
• Photograph your valuables so you can describe them precisely later.
• Do a "seat sweep" before leaving any gate, plane or restaurant — seat pocket, under the seat, the seat back, the floor, and the charging point where phones get left.

If it's a checked bag that didn't arrive

That's not lost and found — it's a baggage claim, and it runs on strict deadlines. Report a missing or damaged checked bag at the airline's baggage service office before you leave the airport, and get a written report (a PIR — Property Irregularity Report) with a reference number. We cover the airline-by-airline process, including the tight reporting windows, in United lost or delayed baggage and American and Delta baggage claims. For what may and may not go in the hold in the first place, see what you can pack in checked baggage.