Summer is approaching and South Africans are planning their yearly vacations, booking flights and accommodation and making lists of things not to forget. Once passengers pass through the boarding gates, holiday mode kicks in, and in the midst of all the excitement, travellers land up losing items on planes, in airports, hotels, and in other modes of transport. LIFT evaluated its Lost and Found Index, to establish what items are most commonly left on board. 

“While we found the usual suspects are the most commonly lost items, we had to ask ourselves: Do South Africans like spending time at Home Affairs?” says Haydn Henning, brand manager, LIFT.  According to LIFT data, some of the most commonly lost items include identity cards, bank cards, driver’s licences and even birth certificates! “Considering the admin and time it takes to replace these items, we’d have thought South Africans would hold on to them a little tighter,” jokes Henning. 

“However, since we launched in 2020, the most common item lost at 36 000 ft is ‘glasses’, both specs and sunnies,” explains Henning. A total of 212 pairs of glasses were left on board over the last 3.5 years. “A close second was the ID card. In fact, 138 people left their sense of identity on a LIFT flight since we took to the skies,” he laughs. 

Other items frequently left behind include caps, jerseys, the odd belt, as well as earphones (sometimes a set, and sometimes a lone earpiece). Busy parents are also likely to leave behind children’s items, which, from the list, might be things dropped when disembarking – toy planes, trucks and dolls, as well as quite a few individual shoes.

Despite thinking that devices are closely guarded due to their high value and cost, passengers have left behind their iPads, cell phones and even Macbooks have been left on board!

“Luckily, in these instances, our crew managed to find, secure and help return these high-value items back to their owners,” says Henning.

“While some of the contents on our Lost & Found list do make for a good laugh, the stress and inconvenience of losing items can really dampen the joy of a holiday. It’s important travellers stay mindful while on their trip, and hold on to their belongings,” adds Henning.

LIFT offers a few tips when travelling, to ensure your holiday doesn’t need to divert to Home Affairs, or the nearest cell store for urgent replacements; 

• When disembarking a plane be sure to thoroughly check the overhead compartment and stowage areas for any personal belongings. When opening the overhead bins, please be cautious of loose items that may have shifted during flight. Check beneath the seats and do a mental check for any loose items you boarded the plane with. 
• A travel wallet is very useful to have, allowing travellers to keep passports, birth certificates, currency or even boarding passes safe and compact in one spot. 
• Passengers should avoid taking too many loose items, or taking too many items out of hand luggage while travelling. The more you unpack, the more you have to keep track of. Having one bag with a good amount of compartments could be helpful. 
• Clearly labelling items is never a bad idea, and adding a phone number is an even better idea.
• These days, trackers like ‘Apple Air Tags’ can be useful backup tracking devices for high-value items like laptops. 

“Despite best efforts, we understand that passengers might still leave something behind – if a passenger does lose something on one of our flights we encourage them to get in touch with our LIFT support team as soon as possible,” concludes Henning.