I made a stupid mistake in leaving my laptop computer onboard a United Airlines flight, but the process of getting it back left me with a big smile on my face.
How I Lost My Laptop On A United Airlines Flight And Retrieved It Myself
In my United Airlines 777-200 flight review on Friday, I commented, “I made a critical mistake on this flight. Can you spot it in one of the pictures above?
I was referring to this picture:
Notice anything? Perhaps something leaning against the fuselage under the windows?
Yes, that’s my laptop computer and silly me took photos of the seat after the flight, but proceeded to leave my laptop on the plane.
You would think I would have learned by now…
Typically, after a long trip (I was in Ethiopia for a week), I do not do any work when I get home; my time is reserved for family. That afternoon and evening was spent with my wife and kids and I did not even think about work or my computer.
I only discovered it the next morning when unpacking my bag…when I did not see it in its normal compartment, my heart sank. I knew immediately exactly where I had left it onboard.
Using Apple’s “Find My” app, I saw that my laptop was still in a maintenance hangar at LAX…I thought it might be back in Chicago or in the lost and found. Speaking of lost and found, I did call United’s Premier 1K desk, which transferred me to United’s LAX lost and found office. I left a message.
I need my computer to work, so when I did not hear back within a couple hours (which was probably asking a bit too much), I got in the car and drove to LAX…I’d try to track it down.
The laptop was not showing in the lost and found office, which is in Terminal 7. Instead, it was showing up in United’s cargo facility, which is down the street off of Century Boulevard.
I went into the cargo office and asked about it. As expected, I was referred to lost and found back in the passenger terminal.
Undeterred, I opened the “Find My” app and tracked it down to a specific building nearby:
I called the number, but no one picked up.
A few moments later, as I considered my next move, an employee walked up to enter the building. I explained my predicament to him and rather than shooing me away, he told me to hang tight after I provided him my name and flight info.
About 10 minutes later, he returned, holding my MacBook Pro!
He said, “Uh, this is a bit awkward, but can you prove this is yours?”
I would have expected nothing less! But it was easy. I opened the laptop and my picture was there on the login screen (this Wall Street Journal hedcut image). I then entered the password to show him I could log in.
How thankful I was for Apple’s tracking features and for this kind employee…a true example of “Good Leads The Way.”
He explained that it had been found when the aircraft was cleaned, but it had not been moved over to lost and found yet. A sticky with the wrong seat number was on it (I was in 1L, not 1K), making me doubly glad that I tracked it down myself.
CONCLUSION
I very foolishly left my laptop onboard a United aircraft and even more foolishly, did not discover it until the following morning. Thankfully, it had been located and I was able to retrieve it, though my approach was a bit unconventional.
Most of all, I was very thankful for the kind United employee who went the extra mile to reunite me with my laptop instead of insisting that the computer work its way through the bureaucratic process.
Matt is a bad ass. Well done, sir.
Hah !
I tried but I did not think about that.
Great Post.
I made the same goof once on a flight from MUC – SFO. But I realized my mistake before I got into the passport line. I ran back to the gate as fast as I could and luckily the plane was still there with the door open. I already knew I would not be allowed back on the plane, but the captain happened to be standing there in the door. He went and retrieved it for me. Whew! That was Lufthansa.
Lesson learned – always, always check for stuff you might have left behind, no matter how seasoned a traveler you are. Too easy on a long flight to just be spacey and miss something.
Sounds like an awesome captain!
Based on a recent experience with a phone left on a UA flight, I have to say that UA’s “lost and found” process is far superior than others. I got my phone back within 2 days.
Good job! I just had a minor issue with a piece of expensive luggage I left when I check out at the Intercontinental in San Francisco. I spoke with housekeeping lost and found and they said nothing was found in the room, and it had been used by a few different people since I checked out. However, the supervisor said she would run out double check herself and within 15 minutes she called me back saying she found it!
First, a sincere bravo to you, then to UA… But you shouldn’t push your good luck so much, since bad luck might be eager to remember you.
I left my laptop at security in TLV. If I had gone back, I’d have missed my flight. The F/A told me “don’t worry, give me your info and we will contact you.” I got on he plane and thought, “no way will I ever see it.”
By the time I was in DC, I had a message saying United was able to retrieve my laptop and it would be sent on a flight to Dulles. I was told to check in with baggage services. I did, and get this, my laptop was there with nothing more than a post-it note and phone number.
United continues to rock it.
A sharp lost and found agent is an invaluable resource for an airline in building goodwill. Successfully returning personal property is long remembered and often shared with others by the customer involved. Too often the baggage service/lost and found operation is a vendor and careful hiring choices are just as important there as it is for other airline areas. Unfortunately this is not often the case.
I left my backpack on a train in Austria on December 31. I’m going there by train to retrieve it tomorrow. Let’s hope all my stuff including two passports are there!
*holding my breath*