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Traveling by air is one of the most stressful forms of travel, from long lines at check-in and security to delayed flights and lost luggage. According to the U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics, there were more than 36 million mishandled bags in 2023, and of that number, 7% percent were stolen, lost, or unclaimed. And that doesn’t just include luggage, that also includes items left onboard the plane.
Alaska Airlines noted that in 2021, they had 43,000 items left on board their planes. While Seattle-Tacoma International Airport processes about 100 lost items per day. Cabin cleaners usually log the seat number and flight number when items are found.
The majority of items left on a plane are electronics, like laptops and headphones. But more interesting things left inside lost luggageinclude meat, fish and fresh herbs. Airlines have shared examples of bigger items lost or left behind, such as a toilet, a headstone, souvenir alligator heads, and human remains. Arrived at your destination low on cash? New York’s JFK Airport has had nearly $1 million in cash left at TSA checkpoints.
Though they are not holding an auction this year because of money going toward a new terminal, Pittsburgh International Airport’s Auction is usually held every fall. They auction off items left on planes and at airport gates, as well as old airport machinery.
Items that have been auctioned off include wedding rings (mostly men’s), brand-new Christian Louboutin stilettos, and even abandoned cars because owners didn’t want to pay long-term parking or towing fees. The money made at the auction goes to the Allegheny County Airport Authority Charitable Foundation.
Lost Luggage Prevention
It’s a nightmare to stand at the baggage carousel for what seems like forever and never see your luggage come out. So here are some tips on how not to lose your luggage.
- Fly non-stop – There’s less chance of lost luggage when it stays on the same plane.
- Arrive at the airport early – A less hurried check-in can mean less chance of lost luggage.
- Keep your checked baggage ticket with you through baggage claim.
- Use a baggage tracking device.
- Put a sticker or something on your luggage to make it stand out from the rest.
- The most important tip – Put a luggage tag with your contact information both outside AND inside your luggage. Outside tags can be torn off.
Airlines put a lot of effort into reuniting travelers with their baggage. In fact, more than 99 percent of lost luggage is returned to travelers. But if your luggage does get lost and remains unclaimed, more than likely, it will end up at the Unclaimed Baggage store in Scottsboro, Alabama, located in the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains.
Lost Luggage Shopping
“We are the nation’s only retailer of lost luggage, so that means we are the only company that has contracts with all of the major airlines to buy unclaimed bags and to resell, recycle and repurpose the suitcases and the contents inside,” states Unclaimed Baggage senior manager of PR and communications Sonni Hood.
She adds, “We’re one of the top tourist attractions in the state of Alabama, so each year, we’ll welcome someone from at least every state in the U.S., and throughout the years, we’ve welcomed tourists from more than 40 countries.”
More than one million tourists come to Unclaimed Baggage every year to go on a treasure hunt for deals on everything from clothing to jewelry to sporting goods to household items.
“Many people spend an entire day here and we even have an in-store cafe,” says Hood. “And since the inventory is constantly evolving, you never know when you’re going to find that hidden gem.”
For many tourists, Unclaimed Baggage is a bucket list destination, with busloads of travelers visiting every year. “We have tour group packages where you can participate in what we call our Baggage Experience,” notes Hood. “It’s an interactive experience where one guest gets the opportunity to actually go through the contents of an unclaimed bag, to see how we do things behind the scenes.”
So how does lost luggage get from the airport to the Unclaimed Baggage store?
How it Works
The airline industry standard is that a bag must be lost for at least 90 days before it’s officially deemed unclaimed. After 90 days, the claims process ends with the traveler being compensated for their lost luggage, and those bags are deemed salvage.
That’s when Unclaimed Baggage steps in. Hood explains, “We buy them from our partners, sight-unseen. We employ a truck driver who makes weekly stops to our partners around the country, and he’ll bring the baggage back to our facility in Scottsboro, and then that truckload of bags will be off-loaded and will go to our baggage openers.”
She continues, “Our baggage openers literally spend Monday through Friday opening up the suitcases, going through the contents, and determining how we’re going to give a second life to each item inside. So they have one of the most fascinating jobs in the world!”
Hood, who first started working at Unclaimed Baggage as a teen, says she’s seen it all. “We could open a bag and find designer clothing and jewelry, or we could open up a bag that’s full of nothing but dirty laundry and you have to hold your nose,” she laughs.
But dirty laundry is no challenge for Unclaimed Baggage. “We launder everything that we receive before it hits the sales floor and we actually have the largest laundry operation, by volume, in the state of Alabama,” Hood boasts. “We launder about 80,000 items per month. And all of our electronic devices are tested and are cleared of any personal information, so we have a very high standard of quality,” she adds.
The store has over 50,000 square feet of retail space, stretching an entire city block. The sales floor stocks up to 7,000 new items every single day. “Typically, our pricing model is between 20 to 80 percent off the suggested retail value, and that’s based on a variety of factors, including the brand, the condition, and the demand,” notes Hood.
“For example, Apple products like iPhones, laptops and things like that may only be 10 or 15 percent off of the retail price. But oftentimes, our fine jewelry is priced at half off appraisal value.”
The most expensive item they’ve sold was a men’s platinum Rolex President watch. “It retailed for $64,000 and we sold it for $32,000,” Hood discloses. “That was back in 2014 and the owner recently shared that the watch appraised for more than $100,000. So you can get a $32,000 Rolex or, like me, you can find a new pair of shoes for only $5,” she exclaims.
Wild, Wonderful and Weird
“We’ve been doing this for 50 years, so you can let your imagination run wild with the things we’ve discovered. Our finds are wild, wonderful and just plain weird,” Hood laughs. She says the most shocking thing the team has found was a live rattlesnake.
“It was in the outside pocket of a duffle bag, and we assumed he found his way in there via transit or maybe while the bag was being stored,” she explains. “We’ve even found real human shrunken heads and ancient Egyptian artifacts, some of which date back to 1500 BC,” she discloses.
The store is large enough to house the Unclaimed Baggage Museum, which houses about 100 of the most fascinating finds. “The most famous item is the Jim Henson puppet creation, Hoggle, which we found back in 1997,” Hood shares.
“It was in the film ‘Labyrinth’ with David Bowie, which has a cult following, so we have people who will come to Unclaimed Baggage just to see Hoggle,” she smiles. Other celebrity items on exhibit include clothing worn by Donnie and Marie Osmond and a needlepoint piece that belonged to Kathryn Crosby, wife of the late entertainer Bing Crosby.
“We have very few reunification stories, but we were able to get the needlepoint piece back to Kathryn Crosby,” Hood says proudly.
There was one other unique experience where a customer was reunited with something that was originally theirs. It happened at the Unclaimed Baggage Ski Sale event, their biggest event of the year.
“On the first Saturday of November, we roll out all of our ski gear, snowboards, winter equipment and all of our winter wear,” explains Hood. “And it’s become such a huge event that people will literally pitch a tent and camp outside,” she laughs.
“So this gentleman was there with his wife and picked up a pair of ski boots he thought she would like. And when his wife lifted up the tongue of the boots, she found her maiden name and realized they were hers.”
But Hood says that’s more of the exception than the rule, because finding something originally yours is like looking for a needle in a haystack.
Reclaim for Good
On average, about a third of everything at Unclaimed Baggage is sold, a third is recycled or thrown away, and about a third is donated through the charitable arm of Unclaimed Baggage called Reclaimed for Good.
“It truly is the heartbeat behind what we do,” Hood effuses. “We’re able to partner with organizations all over the world, to not only give a second life to a lot of these lost items but to help change lives around the world.” Unclaimed Baggage gets millions of prescription eyeglasses, so they’ve partnered with Lions Club International and donated two million pairs of glasses to people in need worldwide.
They also donate some of the medical equipment they receive, like wheelchairs, rollators, canes and crutches to organizations like Wheels for the World, Friends of Disabled Adults and Children, and Samaritan’s Purse.
“And this past Christmas, we hosted a stocking drive in partnership with the former drummer for the group Alabama, Mark Herndon, who lives nearby,” Hood adds. “It was the second part of us helping the victims of Hurricane Helene in North Carolina.”
They collected toys, candy, socks, gloves, toiletries and more to fill 800 stockings and plan to make it an annual Christmas event. Pets are helped, too. “If we get a towel that’s been used or has a rip or a stain on it, it’s not going to hit the sales floor, but we’ve learned that animal shelters around here really value towels, blankets, dog treats and things like that,” Hood shares.
“So we love being able to make an impact with an item that was once lost. Our mission is to redeem the lost, unclaimed and rejected for good.”
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From Bus Lines to Airlines
Unclaimed Baggage has come a long way since 1970, when insurance salesman Doyle Owens started the company by buying unclaimed lost luggage from Trailways Bus Lines in Washington, D.C. and taking them back to his home in Scottsboro, Alabama.
He started with just $300 and a pickup truck. Today, along with the retail store, museum, Cups Cafe and charitable arm, there’s also UnclaimedBaggage.com, their online shopping site, which was started in 2020 during the height of the pandemic.
“It typically stocks up to 5,000 new items a week and that’s a totally separate inventory from the retail store,” Hood notes. In 2023, Unclaimed Baggage launched its inaugural Found Report. The annual report shares the top 40 most fascinating finds, the 10 most frequently found items, the 10 most expensive things found, travel trends and tips on how NOT to lose your luggage.
“Unclaimed Baggage is a great place to work, but it can also be a very dangerous place to work because I buy things a lot, so part of my paycheck is always going right back to the store,” Hood laughs.
She imparts an important lesson she’s learned over the years, “It doesn’t matter who you are or what walk of life you’re from, everybody experiences loss in some way. And lost luggage does not discriminate.”
For more information on Unclaimed Baggage, visit their website or their Facebook and Instagram pages.