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Phone left on flt 3393 2.24.19

lseelaus
Explorer C

Does anyone ever get a cell phone back?

I went to SW baggage assistance w/in minutes of getting off plane which landed at 5:53pm, having realized my phone was still on plane in seat pocket. They sent me to get a gate pass, go through security, and then return to gate. Eventually talked to a "supervisor" who went back on plane to look. I didn't recall exact row# but approximated it. She looked as far as row 17...when I questioned looking in the pockets she said "I don't just tap the seat!"

I was certain phone was on plane but could do nothing else.

Besides filing a claim on SW, I was at the mercy of the cleaning people who would be cleaning at 10pm.  That has not yielded anything.

In one call to the BWI Southwest baggage it was pointed out to me that "there are a million lost items a day and that Southwest has a process for handling them." So much for  feeling the Southwest love.

3 REPLIES 3

Re: Phone left on flt 3393 2.24.19

dfwskier
Aviator A

Southwest flew about 160,000,000 people last year, and if only 1 in 1000 lost an item, that means Southwest has to try to find 160,000 items. With a task that large, it is not possible to provide personal service to 160,000 people, all of which feel like you do. Yes there is a process, and yes lots of items do get returned to their owners. Some don't.

 

I'm sure the process goes something like this. 1) Found items are sent to a central location. 2) Found items get listed in a database. 3) Items reported lost get listed in a database. 3) The two databases are compared in an effort to match items reported lost with found items..

 

After your request the supervisor went back on the plane to look for your phone. She didn't find it. What else was she supposed to do?

 

You need to file a lost item report with as much detail as you have including the phone's make, model, color, serial number, etc. If your phone has a "find me" function, activate it.

 

Hope you get your phone back.

Re: Phone left on flt 3393 2.24.19

lseelaus
Explorer C

Perhaps the SW fellow at the baggage claim desk could have called back to the plane while crew was still on board, rather than sending me on at least a 15 minute trek to the ticket counter for a gate pass and then standing in line to go through security again, before returning to the gate.

 

I was not convinced that the supervisor's search for my phone was particularly thorough.

 

I did file a lost & found report with detail.

 

My phone was in Airplane Mode which renders the Find My Phone function useless.

 

I realize it was my carelessness that got me here, but this has been a tremendously frustrating experience. 

 

Re: Phone left on flt 3393 2.24.19

dfwskier
Aviator A

@lseelaus wrote:

Perhaps the SW fellow at the baggage claim desk could have called back to the plane while crew was still on board, rather than sending me on at least a 15 minute trek to the ticket counter for a gate pass and then standing in line to go through security again, before returning to the gate.

 

I was not convinced that the supervisor's search for my phone was particularly thorough.

 

I did file a lost & found report with detail.

 

My phone was in Airplane Mode which renders the Find My Phone function useless.

 

I realize it was my carelessness that got me here, but this has been a tremendously frustrating experience. 

 


Yeah, the airline probably should have done what you said in the first paragraph above.

 

But again, you said you told the supervisor where you thought the phone would be found. You said she went on the plane and searched - presumably where you told her to search. She then came back and said she did not find it there. What more was she supposed to do? I mean she does have a job with regular duties that require her attention, too. It could have dropped on the floor and been kicked around by departing passengers. It could have been anywhere.

 

It if was on the plane, a cleaning crew will likely find it and it'll go thru the lost item process listed up thread. I know you are frustrated. I would be frustrated, too, if I lost my phone. As much as you don't want to, you just have to let the process evolve.