There have been over a million items such as laptops, phones, and, reportedly, even nearly $1 million in cash lost at TSA checkpoints every year. This fact isn’t exactly comforting to those who travel often. With airports being extremely busy, short-staffed TSA checkpoints, and overcrowded areas, finding lost items is an extremely difficult task.
TSA’s official website records that each month about 90,000 to 100,000 items are reported to the lost and found department. Apart from the mentioned items, airports receive more than a thousand AirPods, Rolex watches, wedding dresses, chargers, glasses, and even strollers. With people rushing to catch their flights, it is fairly common for these items to be forgotten.
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For instance, The Deseret highlighted a traveler’s incident in which he forgot an expensive, limited-edition Nintendo Switch purchased from Japan. Gustavo Ougo claimed the particular Switch was unavailable in the U.S. and said he was crippled by anxiety when he lost it at the Salt Lake City airport.
Ougo revealed he had set the package down when he had to use the bathroom and “totally forgot about it.” After realization set in, he returned to the airport’s lost and found section, where a Good Samaritan had reported the Switch.
Recently, the TSA issued a statement addressing growing concerns over lost items and the protocol for when something goes missing at an airport. Sharing an update on X, the TSA empathized with travelers who have often lost items amid stress and anxiety.
NEWS ALERT: TSA screened just over 45M individuals during the holiday travel period from Dec 19 thru Jan 4. This figure represents an average daily screening volume of about 2.65M, and nearly 800K more than projected.
— TSA (@TSA) January 5, 2026
The organization urged travelers not to panic and wrote, “If you believe you have left something behind at our security checkpoints, we have a way to contact your airport.” Immediately after the statement, a link is attached that leads directly to TSA’s official website.
The website contains a list of airports and their contact information, which can also be manually entered in the search bar. Additionally, for some airports, there are online forms with detailed instructions on how to proceed further.
We’ve all been there… the stress of losing something at the airport during the holiday rush.
But don’t panic! 🛑 If you believe you left something behind at our security checkpoints, we have a way to contact your airport.
💻 Search now: https://t.co/130wKVjfNz pic.twitter.com/z9sJHUh1F3
— TSA (@TSA) January 2, 2026
The website also advises those traveling with electronics to include their contact information just in case they lose them. This would enable employees at the lost and found to better reunite owners with their lost items.
Speaking about employees, customer service supervisor at Salt Lake City Airport, Melissa Royle shared brief insight into how things work in a conversation with the Desert. Royle revealed there’s a whole lot of “processing” involved. She said, “Here in the Lost and Found, we’re doing a lot of organizing all the items that we get in.”
Although Salt Lake City Airport isn’t anything like New York City airports, it still gets a massive inflow of visitors. According to Royle, there are reportedly between 400 to 600 items reported lost on a weekly basis. If these items are not claimed within 30 days, they are reportedly either sold or destroyed.
