Left a valuable item on plane

[Kjopalensky]

I left my AirPods on flight 2109 tail number N8557Q from BNA to RSW 6:15 PM CST - 9:15PM EST. I called customer service and nobody was willing to check the plane for me to secure my item. They told rather than someone checking the plane for me, I had to submit a request online at lost and found case # 81458748. The customer service rep ensured me they do a thorough inspection on the plane and it would be found and turned in. Of course it was not found and turned in by southwest employee’s Luke it should have. Instead my AirPods were last seen in Midway International Airport in Chicago on 11/23 at 5:07am. So in spite of me calling immediately the same night I realized I left my item in the plane, and the customer service rep explaining it would be found and turned in, it was not, and it in now in Chicago as of the date and time given above and nobody is willing to help me find my item. Good job southwest. Your systems are so compartmentalized they can operates in conjunction with each other. Your customer service reps have no ability to address anything in real time and as a result are not able to address customer issues efficiently or effectively. I’m still tracking my AirPods so let me know when you feel like actually helping you customer like you claim to value. 

[dfwskier]

So you filed a lost item report with Southwest? If so, let the system play out.

All found itmes are shipped to a central location in Alabama where an attempt is made to match lost item reports to found items. The process can take up to 30 days.  If your item has a serial number, make sure that SW has it. That's the best way to up your chances of getting your item back.

If one in 1000 passengers resport something lost, then SW would be searching for around 160,000 items this year. There is not time or resources to provide that kind of personal lost and found effort  you want with those kinds of numbers. If it tried to do so, SW would be running a lost and found service instead of an airline. I hate to think what the incremental cost would do to airfares.

[Kjopalensky]

You’re failing to see the problem. I tried letting the system play out and it has failed. I was reassured it would be found and turned in that night when I reported it. It was not found and turned in and now rather than me being able to pick it up when I got back for my return flight, it’s in some other random city. This was avoidable but they don’t have a process in place to deal with things in real time. So yeah great that you have faith in the system playing it out to find something that’s not yours and relying on some obscure system and time line of 30 days. Not exactly reassuring. This is a massive company and it should perform better and we should have higher expectations for it. 

[floridaguy]

I beg your pardon, but this has nothing to do with Southwest.  

YOU LEFT YOUR PERSONAL BELONGING BEHIND.

It is not the responsibility of Southwest, its shareholders or employees to keep up with your personal items left behind on the plane.  Next time, I would suggest that you take better care of your items.

This is not a failure of Southwest on any level.

[Kjopalensky]

Are you an employee or something?

I recognize it’s ultimately my fault for forgetting my AirPods. And it’s frustrating when there is no avenue to retrieve them in spite of me trying to contact them as soon as I left the airport and realized. Doesn’t seem like a big ask to be able to call someone to check the plane I was just on.

Not only that but the employee reassured me the planes are thoroughly inspected for left behind items and turned in. Well it wasn’t in my case as the AirPods flew on to the next location. 

If you don’t consider this a failure in customer service than i suppose we have different standards for a multi billion dollar company. 

[dfwskier]

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@Kjopalensky wrote:

  Doesn’t seem like a big ask to be able to call someone to check the plane I was just on.

 Give me a break. As I said initiailly, SW is probably dealing with 160,000+ lost items

a year. It would be  a HUGE ASK for SW to personally search for all of them.

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@

Not only that but the employee reassured me the planes are thoroughly inspected for left behind items and turned in. Well it wasn’t in my case as the AirPods flew on to the next location. 

Planes are not thoroughly inspected between flights on the same day. The seat belts are re arranged in prep for the next flight. That's it. At the end of the day, planes are cleaned and inspected. If your item was found, it was found at the end of the day.

Assuming some other passenger did not make off with your AirPods, your item is on it's way to Alabama, As I said earlier, wait for the system to work -- again asuming SW even has your item.

[Kjopalensky]

Yet they have a crew to sweep the entire plane after every flight anyways to specifically find forgotten items. So it’s not a big ask. They do it for every single flight. 

[floridaguy]

I am not a Southwest employee but are a shareholder.  I agree with the first response that Southwest cannot dedicate resources to looking for your item.  If it turns up, they have a process to collect and route the item.

Your argument is similar to someone who runs off the road, ends up in the ditch, then blames whomever cut the ditch.  The core issue would be that you lost control of your vehicle.  In this case, you left your items behind.

Next time be more careful.

[Kjopalensky]

I just said I realize it’s my fault I lost my item. So not sure your analogy quite fits. When there is a process in place to locate items left on a plane, and it doesn’t work, it’s frustrating. It could have been found and turned in by the crew checking the plane. But it was not and now it’s likely going to be lost. 

[ZevSupport]

I wish you the best of luck finding it!