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JOE (microphone): Oh, my goodness!
200, 300, 400. And 400, 300…

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Downloaded from
YTS.MX

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NARRATOR: Billions of people travel
through airports every year.

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Official YIFY movies site:
YTS.MX

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600, 600, sold it to you.
575, off 215, it's a buyer…

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NARRATOR: With all those people
comes a whole lot of stuff.

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00:00:15,890 --> 00:00:18,685
JOE:
And sold, $80. Buyer number is 111.

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NARRATOR: Some of that stuff
ends up at this auction.

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We do it every fall,
and it cleans up all the items

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00:00:24,149 --> 00:00:28,319
that people have abandoned in the airport,
lost in the airport, automobiles.

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Why not go for the shoes,
especially the red bottom shoes.

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-$12,500 on the car.
-BOB: This year, we have a mini-Cooper,

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which is one of the nicer cars
that we've seen.

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The Cadillac Escalade
of a former Steelers player,

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-JOE: Can I get fifteen?
-That one brought in a lot of money.

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00:00:41,875 --> 00:00:44,044
(unintelligible)
Now two, two, want to get two, now three.

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NARRATOR:
But we're at the end of the road.

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-All of this…
-JOE: You got a nice buy there, sir.

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starts here.

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(plane engine)

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(indistinct chatter)

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-From lost at the airport…
-We received a box of human remains.

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-NARRATOR: To found in Alabama…
-A 40-carat Colombian emerald.

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DEBORAH: Sometimes, it's a good
adventure, and sometimes not.

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-NARRATOR: And sold at auction.
-JOE: Sold at $7,000.

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NARRATOR:
This is the story of luggage gone lost.

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PA SYSTEM: Welcome to
Seattle-Tacoma International Airport.

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We want your journey to be a safe one,
for all members of your family.

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NARRATOR: Ever wonder what happens
to your luggage after you check it in?

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We did.

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Today, we're going to be sending this
GoPro down the journey of the bag,

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and we're gonna put this
protective case on here

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because we have no idea exactly
what this camera will be encountering.

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There we go.

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(trap rendition of Deck the Halls plays)

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-GUEST 1: Hello.
-Hi.

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-Is Sacramento your final today?
-GUEST 1: Right.

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CLERK:
And you are all set to go.

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-GUEST 1: Awesome, thank you!
-CLERK: Thank you.

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KEVIN: After your bag gets put
on the initial conveyor belt,

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it goes through a series of conveyors,
sometimes several miles long,

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that will take the bag through
an automated security screening.

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NARRATOR: If the x-ray technology
detects a potential threat in a bag,

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it sends the x-ray images to a TSA officer
who tries to resolve the threat.

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If it's still questionable,
TSA manually inspects the bag.

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Less than 5% of bags
are physically inspected.

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KEVIN: When the bags leave security, the
sortation systems will move the bags over,

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which then will go down a slide
down to the respective pier,

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where an agent will load
the bag onto a cart.

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NARRATOR:
But these are more than just bags.

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They hold the clues to
who we are as travelers.

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What we have in common
and what makes us unique.

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KEVIN:
Once the bags arrive out at the aircraft,

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they are uploaded onto the aircraft,
and they're off to their destination.

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NARRATOR:
Or not.

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MICHELLE: Thank you for calling
Seattle Airport Lost and Found.

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My name is Michelle. How can I help you?

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-Oh, my gosh!
-AGENT 1: Oh, my!

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-TONY: Oh, interesting.
-MICHELLE: Oh, it's full of stuff.

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NARRATOR: Every day, lost luggage
stacks up at airports around the world.

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FIATELE: I can't judge a book by its cover
and every item has a different story.

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-AGENT 2: Hi, how can I help you?
-Hi, I left something at TSA yesterday.

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ALMA: What we do here is
lots of detective work, lots.

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NARRATOR: Behind the scenes,
there are people working around the clock

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to reunite all the lost
things with their owners.

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MICHELLE:
I'm looking for clues. Oh, look at that.

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This is what I love about lost and found
because you can be your own detective.

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Yeah, they came from Hawaii.

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I'm always surprised by the type
of items that people leave behind.

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TSA AGENT 1:
You got document, 9816.

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We received a Costco envelope from TSA.

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It looks like maybe personal postcards.

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Inside the envelope
is seasonal greeting cards.

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It's a Christmas card and a New Year.

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NARRATOR:
The Seattle International Airport

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processes about 100 lost items every day.

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FIATELE:
And this is from December 28, 1976.

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NARRATOR:
And during the holidays, that doubles!

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FIATELE:
It says 12/24/59.

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These envelopes or seasonal greeting
cards seem to be very sentimental.

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00:04:49,122 --> 00:04:49,956
2007…

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Every different item has a
different sense of emotion to it.

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Maybe we could call Costco and
give them that order number

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and they'll be able to pull it up.

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NARRATOR: With about 430
commercial airports in the US,

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we're talking millions
of lost items each year.

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And that's not even
including the airlines.

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Your flight with Alaska Airlines, a proud
member of the One World Alliance.

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KEVIN: In 2021, which was
a year without that much travel,

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we handled 43,000 left on-board items.

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JAVIER: I would say I would
have at least once a day

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somebody coming towards me
and say, "I think I left it onboard."

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One time, I was working a flight, and
another passenger comes over and says,

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"Hey, I was on this plane, it landed. I
think I left something of value in there."

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And I said, "Okay, well, what is it?"
And he says, "it's my dentures."

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So I went onboard.

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And it was there on the floor, you know,
it's just the dentures, just right there.

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So I grabbed a couple of
napkins to pick it up. (laughs)

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And he also seemed
very relieved to find them.

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KEVIN: The guests deplanes, and typically,
the items are found by our cleaners.

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They will log the seat
that they found it in,

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hopefully, they'll have the flight
number that had just come in.

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They'll give that item either to the
customer service agent that met the flight

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or, if it's a late at night flight,

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they would bring it down
to the baggage service office.

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JAVIER: If nobody claims those
items, then they get sent here

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to Central Baggage Services,
and then we try to make a match.

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AGENT 3: The way I describe it is we're
the lost and found for the whole airline.

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Anytime something's left
on the plane, whether it's a pencil,

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a wallet, an iPad, everything
gets sent here within 24 hours.

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So we have a CPAP machine.

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At this stage,
we're kind of just processing it.

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Sorting it from high value, low value.

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And then the next agent will actually be
able to do a little bit more research.

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AGENT 4: We will start with high value
items. We do prioritize these items.

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I'll go ahead and start with this laptop
and log it in as a found report.

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KEVIN:
The first step that's taken,

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is there any obvious signs
that we can reunite this item?

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And here, we found a boarding pass.

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KEVIN:
We log that into a technology system

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that will help us identify key words in a
report that the guest has hopefully made.

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AGENT 4: I do have a lost
report for the same flight.

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Oh, I have two.
So, I will open each of these up.

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And see if I can get a matching name.

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Which I did!

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At that point, we would
reach out to the guest.

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I was calling to let you know
that I was able to match your lost report

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with an item that we found
in our warehouse.

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GUEST 2: Awesome. Alrighty, wonderful.
Thank you, ma'am. I'm so excited.

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Everyone was like,
"I don't know. With no tags on it,

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it's a 50/50 chance,
and I was like, "I just got that thing."

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Oh, right. I did find your boarding
pass, so that helped a lot.

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GUEST 2:
Thank you so much, ma'am.

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Okay, thank you so much for choosing
Alaska. You have a great day.

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00:07:56,726 --> 00:07:58,394
I lost my bag.

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FIATELE: We are always busy here
in the Lost and Found office,

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but we get even
busier during the holidays.

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(crowds chatter indistinctly)

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This past holiday season we had
a suitcase of meat come into our office.

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The suitcase was filled from bottom
to top with nothing but deer meat,

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goat meat, sausage, many different items.

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One interesting item that we saw was
a guy who lost a box of rocks.

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A guy came through and he asked,
"Have you guys seen any rubies?"

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No, we haven't seen any rubies.

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He said, "Well, you probably
wouldn't know if they were rubies

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because they're raw,
they look like rocks."

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It was a box about like this,
and when we brought them out,

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he goes, "Yeah, that's it, that's it."

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FIATELE:
We've all been there before.

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I think it's a common thing
we can all relate to.

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Everybody's done it before.
I've done it myself.

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Oh, yeah, head rests.

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I've lost several head rests,
too embarrassed to say how many.

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A very nice lady said,
"Ma'am, is this yours?"

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I was so embarrassed.
I said, "Yes, it's mine, thank you."

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It was a gift.

157
00:09:06,963 --> 00:09:11,717
And then I had to run back and say,
"It's me, I left my bag onboard."

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(laughs) And they said, "Don't you
work for an airline?" I said, "Yes."

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To this day,
I still miss that brown sweater.

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PA: Mark Jackson, please return to
the checkpoint for a left behind item.

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Lost and Found
handles anything left behind

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in security checkpoints
and any general airport areas.

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(indistinct din)

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TSA AGENT 1: Alright, let's go,
heading to checkpoint three,

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to start the day for lost and found.

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NARRATOR: 70% of Seattle's lost items
comes from the TSA checkpoints.

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TSA AGENT 1:
Alright, gentlemen, excuse us please.

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(indistinct chatter)

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JUAN: First thing in the morning,
we check our lost and found database

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and we compile a list
from all five screening checkpoints.

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TSA AGENT 1:
We got 9324.

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JUAN:
We go out to each individual checkpoint

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and collect all their lost and found.

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00:10:04,854 --> 00:10:07,440
-TSA AGENT 1: And last item, 9015.
-TSA AGENT 2: 9015…

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00:10:07,523 --> 00:10:09,317
TSA AGENT 1:
Excuse me gentlemen.

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00:10:09,609 --> 00:10:14,280
JUAN: Pre-pandemic, we collected roughly
30,000 items on a yearly basis.

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00:10:14,739 --> 00:10:15,615
TSA AGENT 2:
So that one, I need…

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JUAN: High travel seasons do
produce a lot more lost and found,

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00:10:18,492 --> 00:10:21,454
your summertime, your spring
breaks especially, holiday season.

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-TSA AGENT 1: So three.
-TSA AGENT 2: Gotcha.

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NARRATOR:
No TSA meant a lot less lost items.

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Before TSA was established in 2001,

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00:10:30,379 --> 00:10:33,007
passengers merely had to walk
through a metal detector.

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No removing belts or shoes.

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00:10:37,637 --> 00:10:40,640
And as for bag checks, what bag checks?

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With fewer items removed,
fewer items were left behind.

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TSA AGENT 1: Alright. How ya doing?
We're going to meet you at the back door.

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JUAN: When the office opens up
here at 8:00 in the morning,

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we come downstairs
with the bin or bins,

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and we start turning them over
to the Port of Seattle.

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-MICHELLE: Good morning!
-TSA AGENT 1: Hi, good morning, Michelle.

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00:11:01,494 --> 00:11:03,621
-MICHELLE: How are you guys?
-TSA AGENT 1: I'm good. How are you doing?

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00:11:03,704 --> 00:11:05,581
MICHELLE:
Wow, you got a lot of stuff for me today.

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00:11:05,665 --> 00:11:08,501
-TSA AGENT 1: That's right.
-MICHELLE: Alright, come on in.

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00:11:09,168 --> 00:11:12,338
JUAN: The most common items that I've seen
left behind at the security checkpoints

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00:11:12,421 --> 00:11:15,549
are usually laptops,
gaming consoles, iPads.

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00:11:16,008 --> 00:11:17,218
7478.

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00:11:17,301 --> 00:11:20,346
MICHELLE:
I guess we're moving to the laptop. Okay.

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00:11:20,680 --> 00:11:23,516
One of the most unusual items that I've
picked up through the lost and found

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00:11:23,599 --> 00:11:25,726
was actually today.
It was a tortilla press.

201
00:11:26,310 --> 00:11:30,022
7582. Because you never know
when you want a quesadilla, right?

202
00:11:30,106 --> 00:11:30,940
MICHELLE:
Yeah.

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00:11:31,023 --> 00:11:34,068
We have to check each one of the items,
especially with the clothing.

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00:11:38,030 --> 00:11:39,949
JUAN:
And 6847.

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00:11:40,032 --> 00:11:42,868
-MICHELLE:
Okay, so let's check the pockets. Sorry.

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00:11:43,452 --> 00:11:44,620
JUAN:
There's something in there.

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00:11:45,663 --> 00:11:47,248
NARRATOR:
In a typical travel year,

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00:11:47,331 --> 00:11:52,253
nearly $1 million is left behind
at TSA checkpoints, in cash!

209
00:11:52,420 --> 00:11:57,299
JFK Airport takes
the cake with over $98,000!

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00:11:59,260 --> 00:12:01,846
MICHELLE: With the bags as
well, we have to go through it.

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00:12:02,221 --> 00:12:05,516
A lot of books. Oh…

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00:12:05,599 --> 00:12:08,686
If we get like a perishable
item inside those bags,

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00:12:08,769 --> 00:12:12,064
we have to take them out,
it can only stay there for 24 hours.

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00:12:12,648 --> 00:12:15,985
TONY: You can imagine a bag with a
banana that sits there for a month,

215
00:12:16,068 --> 00:12:17,361
it's not going to be pretty.

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00:12:17,945 --> 00:12:21,449
MICHELLE: Aw… I know, sometimes
you can't help but to feel sorry

217
00:12:21,532 --> 00:12:23,701
for the mama who's
traveling with this baby.

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00:12:26,412 --> 00:12:29,498
NARRATOR: Going through
all these items is a process.

219
00:12:35,921 --> 00:12:37,298
-MICHELLE: Okay.
-TSA AGENT 2: You got it?

220
00:12:38,382 --> 00:12:41,969
-Alright, we'll see you later.
-MICHELLE: See you later guys.

221
00:12:42,428 --> 00:12:45,431
NARRATOR:
And sometimes, that process bears…

222
00:12:45,514 --> 00:12:49,018
-MICHELLE: Oh, my gosh!
-NARRATOR: Unusual fruit.

223
00:12:49,101 --> 00:12:51,562
MICHELLE:
There's actually fish inside!

224
00:12:54,523 --> 00:12:55,983
(plane engine)

225
00:12:56,484 --> 00:12:58,277
(indistinct chatter)

226
00:12:59,028 --> 00:13:01,864
MICHELLE: Alright, so this bag
actually came from TSA.

227
00:13:01,947 --> 00:13:06,076
But there's no name on it,
so let's see if we can find a name.

228
00:13:06,952 --> 00:13:12,333
Okay, lots of goodies,
treats. (gasps) Oh, my gosh.

229
00:13:14,043 --> 00:13:18,756
There's actually fish inside,
like real fish.

230
00:13:19,215 --> 00:13:22,968
Why would… This is why we have to check.

231
00:13:23,719 --> 00:13:28,349
It's smelly, smelly fish.

232
00:13:28,766 --> 00:13:32,520
And I don't know why they put that in.

233
00:13:32,603 --> 00:13:38,025
So… Sorry, we'll have
to dump this right away.

234
00:13:40,361 --> 00:13:42,988
These items need to
go out from the bag,

235
00:13:43,072 --> 00:13:45,157
and we have to dispose
of them, unfortunately

236
00:13:45,241 --> 00:13:47,326
because it's really perishable items.

237
00:13:47,409 --> 00:13:50,079
I'm interested to find
out what's inside this bag.

238
00:13:53,374 --> 00:13:57,419
Looks like rice that is
from the bottom of the pot.

239
00:13:58,462 --> 00:14:00,923
This might be like spices.

240
00:14:02,132 --> 00:14:05,928
Oh, what's in here?
I think this is garlic chives.

241
00:14:07,680 --> 00:14:11,183
Okay. Sorry, they will all go here.

242
00:14:13,727 --> 00:14:15,855
Ah ha! Medication.

243
00:14:16,480 --> 00:14:20,484
There is a medication here, which
gives me a clue who it belongs to.

244
00:14:21,277 --> 00:14:27,491
Yep, there's a name,
so we can search for the owner.

245
00:14:28,075 --> 00:14:31,954
I'm assuming they were
supposed to do sushi with that fish,

246
00:14:32,329 --> 00:14:38,794
but sorry, have to go in there.
And that's about it for this bag.

247
00:14:40,546 --> 00:14:42,756
FIATELE:
When we receive lost and found bags,

248
00:14:42,840 --> 00:14:44,717
everything has to be
registered from inside out.

249
00:14:47,136 --> 00:14:49,013
MICHELLE:
Hopefully, the name on this medication

250
00:14:49,096 --> 00:14:51,056
will lead us to the owner of the bag.

251
00:14:53,851 --> 00:14:57,187
NARRATOR: Raw fish is just one
of the many strange, lost items.

252
00:14:57,271 --> 00:14:58,105
(flush)

253
00:14:58,188 --> 00:15:01,442
The Dublin International
Airport has seen a left behind toilet,

254
00:15:01,734 --> 00:15:04,987
life-sized mannequin, and headstone!

255
00:15:05,070 --> 00:15:05,905
(indistinct)

256
00:15:06,030 --> 00:15:10,159
NARRATOR: Pittsburgh International Airport
has its own laundry list of unusual items.

257
00:15:10,242 --> 00:15:13,579
ELISE: When items are left throughout
the common areas of the terminals,

258
00:15:13,662 --> 00:15:16,790
they are then turned into us
at the information desk.

259
00:15:18,334 --> 00:15:23,130
We store those items for 30 days and try
to make every attempt to reach the owner.

260
00:15:23,213 --> 00:15:26,842
Some of the strange items
that we have seen over the years,

261
00:15:26,926 --> 00:15:30,679
a pair of souvenir alligator
heads, a rice maker,

262
00:15:30,763 --> 00:15:34,224
a carpet steamer,
diving equipment, false teeth,

263
00:15:34,308 --> 00:15:38,354
a 2500-page Vietnamese
to English dictionary,

264
00:15:38,479 --> 00:15:40,481
that was very thick, about this thick.

265
00:15:40,564 --> 00:15:43,609
-JOE: We got all those bracelets.
-ELISE: If they are then unclaimed,

266
00:15:43,692 --> 00:15:46,904
we send them offsite in
preparation for the auction.

267
00:15:53,953 --> 00:15:56,747
-LEE: Hey, Tony.
-TONY: Oh, hey, Detective Lee.

268
00:15:57,247 --> 00:16:00,376
NARRATOR: Before the Seattle
Airport even thinks about an auction,

269
00:16:00,626 --> 00:16:03,879
they let an actual detective
take a stab at finding owners.

270
00:16:03,963 --> 00:16:06,006
LEE:
You got any good stuff for me this month?

271
00:16:06,090 --> 00:16:07,758
TONY:
Yes, actually I do.

272
00:16:07,841 --> 00:16:11,845
Our policy is to hold onto
items for 30 days.

273
00:16:11,929 --> 00:16:14,306
-Three tablets here.
-LEE: Okay.

274
00:16:14,390 --> 00:16:16,976
TONY:
What we would call high value items,

275
00:16:17,059 --> 00:16:21,230
say a laptop or a tablet
or cell phone, jewelry,

276
00:16:21,313 --> 00:16:23,899
we will turn those over to the police.

277
00:16:25,317 --> 00:16:27,361
LEE:
Many years ago with lost and found,

278
00:16:27,444 --> 00:16:30,614
because I have some experience
with computer forensics,

279
00:16:30,698 --> 00:16:37,329
I felt that my skills would help
get some property back to folks.

280
00:16:37,413 --> 00:16:38,872
-TONY: See you next month.
-LEE: See you next month.

281
00:16:38,956 --> 00:16:41,625
LEE:
I just try to do an additional check

282
00:16:41,709 --> 00:16:44,420
to try to get the property
back to the owners.

283
00:16:49,216 --> 00:16:52,469
One of the easiest things is
checking 'em for stolen status.

284
00:16:54,096 --> 00:16:56,765
Lost and found just doesn't
have the ability to do that,

285
00:16:56,849 --> 00:16:59,476
so we check to see if these items
have been reported stolen.

286
00:17:00,310 --> 00:17:05,024
Let's see if there's a SIM in there.
It looks like it might be a foreign SIM.

287
00:17:05,441 --> 00:17:10,029
Over the years, because of people's
concerns over security and everything,

288
00:17:10,112 --> 00:17:14,908
it makes it a lot harder sometimes
to actually get property back to folks.

289
00:17:14,992 --> 00:17:18,037
And unfortunately,
I'm not able to read it.

290
00:17:18,120 --> 00:17:21,081
It's one of those SIMs
that I'm just not able to read.

291
00:17:21,165 --> 00:17:24,334
So with this particular phone,
I'm pretty much at a dead end.

292
00:17:24,418 --> 00:17:28,130
The serial number is not reported stolen.

293
00:17:28,797 --> 00:17:33,594
I'm not able to get any
phone number off the SIM card.

294
00:17:33,677 --> 00:17:35,554
Alright, so…

295
00:17:37,056 --> 00:17:39,099
It is kind of frustrating that, you know,

296
00:17:39,183 --> 00:17:45,606
we'll have a $2,000 laptop sitting there,
and it's not reported stolen,

297
00:17:45,689 --> 00:17:48,817
we don't have a name,
and we start running out of options.

298
00:17:49,276 --> 00:17:52,321
All right, so this is one that
came in last month

299
00:17:52,404 --> 00:17:55,908
that I still haven't had a
chance to get to yet,

300
00:17:55,991 --> 00:17:59,870
and we've got a lot of
different pieces here.

301
00:17:59,953 --> 00:18:03,999
And between these we should
be able to hopefully…

302
00:18:05,751 --> 00:18:10,005
get a name that we can
get a phone number on.

303
00:18:12,091 --> 00:18:15,177
NARRATOR: Sometimes, losing
your luggage is out of your control.

304
00:18:15,719 --> 00:18:20,682
It looks like a lot of… Bozeman
must have had a weight balance issue,

305
00:18:20,766 --> 00:18:22,893
-so they didn't send a lot of bags.
-GUEST 3: Okay.

306
00:18:22,976 --> 00:18:24,186
KEVIN:
When you're out at the airport,

307
00:18:24,269 --> 00:18:26,563
and your bag doesn't come
off the baggage claim,

308
00:18:27,147 --> 00:18:29,316
we know that that feeling is really hard.

309
00:18:29,399 --> 00:18:31,735
CLERK 2: I'm gonna call the
gate to see if they have it.

310
00:18:32,486 --> 00:18:36,281
When a bag is not able
to be identified to a guest,

311
00:18:36,365 --> 00:18:40,119
the airports will continue to try and
find the guest for the first five days.

312
00:18:40,786 --> 00:18:45,207
On the sixth day, the bag is then tagged
to be sent here to Central Baggage,

313
00:18:46,083 --> 00:18:49,169
where we will begin
a more intensive search.

314
00:18:49,253 --> 00:18:52,172
There's a tag with a name.

315
00:18:52,256 --> 00:18:55,008
There is some sense
of ownership on our part

316
00:18:55,092 --> 00:18:58,095
that we didn't necessarily care
for that item like we should have.

317
00:18:58,178 --> 00:19:02,182
I'm sorry that your baggage
didn't get to go with you.

318
00:19:02,349 --> 00:19:04,518
We have it here, and we certainly
want to get it back to you.

319
00:19:05,310 --> 00:19:09,231
KEVIN: It's in our nature to
want to rectify that situation.

320
00:19:09,314 --> 00:19:13,819
This is a left onboard item. As of right
now, we have yet to find the owner.

321
00:19:13,902 --> 00:19:17,489
A photo album that was given
from what we believe a wife to a husband.

322
00:19:17,573 --> 00:19:20,868
We nicknamed the gentleman
on the front the pointing guy,

323
00:19:20,951 --> 00:19:22,911
because throughout
the whole entire book,

324
00:19:22,995 --> 00:19:26,123
all he is doing is pointing
every which way at every item.

325
00:19:26,373 --> 00:19:28,667
KEVIN: A left behind item is a little bit
different than a checked item

326
00:19:28,750 --> 00:19:32,129
because we don't necessarily
know who that item belonged to.

327
00:19:32,379 --> 00:19:33,630
MICHELLE:
So we created a found report,

328
00:19:33,714 --> 00:19:37,176
hoping that the guest
had submitted a lost report.

329
00:19:37,259 --> 00:19:39,428
As of right now,
there was no trace results,

330
00:19:39,511 --> 00:19:42,389
which means that nothing in our
system matched the two of them.

331
00:19:42,890 --> 00:19:45,184
We actually pulled out
every single photo,

332
00:19:45,267 --> 00:19:48,061
hoping that there was something written
on the back of one of them.

333
00:19:48,312 --> 00:19:49,229
No luck there.

334
00:19:49,646 --> 00:19:54,693
In one of the photos towards
the back, there is a boat,

335
00:19:54,776 --> 00:19:57,779
which is registered
within the state of Washington.

336
00:19:58,197 --> 00:20:01,742
And so, I ended up calling
the state of Washington

337
00:20:01,825 --> 00:20:04,077
to see if I could get
any vessel information.

338
00:20:04,161 --> 00:20:06,997
-But doesn't this look like him?
-(VO): What's next for us

339
00:20:07,080 --> 00:20:11,251
is we're hoping to actually use the
power of social media in our favor.

340
00:20:11,335 --> 00:20:12,753
AGENT 5:
That looks like Lake Chelan.

341
00:20:12,836 --> 00:20:15,047
And so we just hope
that everyone can help us

342
00:20:15,130 --> 00:20:17,007
try and figure out
who the pointing guy is.

343
00:20:19,551 --> 00:20:23,305
Checked baggage, on the other hand,
has a better chance of making it home.

344
00:20:24,056 --> 00:20:26,183
KEVIN: The amount of times
that we're unable to reunite

345
00:20:26,266 --> 00:20:30,354
a checked bag with a guest is very small,
we're talking a fraction of a percent.

346
00:20:31,772 --> 00:20:33,482
NARRATOR:
Across all airlines,

347
00:20:33,565 --> 00:20:37,194
the chance of never getting
your bag back is less than half a percent.

348
00:20:38,695 --> 00:20:43,533
But with billions of people traveling
every year, that half a percent adds up.

349
00:20:43,617 --> 00:20:46,370
We're talking over
a million bags worldwide.

350
00:20:47,704 --> 00:20:50,624
Many of them end up here.
(car honks)

351
00:20:56,755 --> 00:20:58,757
DEWAYNE:
My name is DeWayne Griffith.

352
00:20:59,716 --> 00:21:02,844
My job here at Unclaimed Baggage
is transportation specialist,

353
00:21:03,136 --> 00:21:07,766
I go all over the country, coast to coast,
picking up lost luggage from airlines.

354
00:21:09,142 --> 00:21:13,021
I'm picking up luggage on a weekly basis.
A lot of miles, a lot of hours.

355
00:21:14,064 --> 00:21:18,443
I listen to a lot of podcasts,
I listen to a lot of talk radio,

356
00:21:18,527 --> 00:21:19,778
probably too much sometimes.

357
00:21:20,988 --> 00:21:22,364
Sometimes just music.

358
00:21:24,074 --> 00:21:26,785
Sometimes, I'm amazed by
the number of bags that we get.

359
00:21:26,868 --> 00:21:27,703
(brakes hiss)

360
00:21:30,247 --> 00:21:32,291
Every day, I open dozens.

361
00:21:33,500 --> 00:21:37,045
It depends on the size.
It depends on what's in the bag.

362
00:21:37,671 --> 00:21:39,131
I usually open dozens.

363
00:21:40,632 --> 00:21:44,553
Poncho, kitchen ware, masks,
lots of cologne, lots of shoes.

364
00:21:47,514 --> 00:21:49,099
JENNIFER:
We're at Unclaimed Baggage,

365
00:21:49,182 --> 00:21:51,643
and we're a retail store
in Scottsboro, Alabama,

366
00:21:51,852 --> 00:21:55,022
and we work and partner
directly with the major airlines,

367
00:21:55,105 --> 00:21:57,566
and we sell unclaimed baggage.

368
00:22:00,819 --> 00:22:03,572
This is a nice shirt.
We have some nice clean socks.

369
00:22:03,655 --> 00:22:06,158
Clean. These shoes look pretty good.

370
00:22:06,658 --> 00:22:08,869
BRYAN:
It all got started with my dad,

371
00:22:09,703 --> 00:22:13,582
who was a ham radio
operator back in the 1960s.

372
00:22:15,375 --> 00:22:18,295
One day, a gentleman got
on the radio and said,

373
00:22:18,587 --> 00:22:20,505
"I have this big problem
with unclaimed bags.

374
00:22:20,589 --> 00:22:22,924
We have so many of them,
we don't know what to do with them."

375
00:22:23,175 --> 00:22:27,721
My dad, he said,
"I think I see an opportunity there,

376
00:22:27,804 --> 00:22:28,847
I may be able to help you."

377
00:22:28,930 --> 00:22:32,559
My dad borrowed $300
from one of my grandfathers.

378
00:22:32,642 --> 00:22:37,898
He borrowed my other grandfather's
1965 Chevy C10 pickup truck,

379
00:22:37,981 --> 00:22:41,943
(car honks)
and he headed up towards Washington, DC.,

380
00:22:42,027 --> 00:22:45,822
and bought his first load of unclaimed
bags from Trailways bus lines.

381
00:22:46,865 --> 00:22:50,786
COMMERCIAL: ♪ You're not alone,
when you're traveling Trailways ♪

382
00:22:51,286 --> 00:22:55,582
And then we segued into the airline world.

383
00:22:55,665 --> 00:22:56,500
('70s funk)

384
00:22:56,583 --> 00:23:00,212
NARRATOR: Air travel in the '70s looked
a little different than it does today.

385
00:23:01,338 --> 00:23:06,635
The new 747 jet boasted spiral staircases,
and smoking was permitted.

386
00:23:06,718 --> 00:23:10,013
The alcohol was flowing,
and meals were carved to order.

387
00:23:11,890 --> 00:23:14,309
Sitting in coach
was like going to the movies.

388
00:23:15,060 --> 00:23:19,564
BRYAN: In the early '70s, it would've
started with Eastern Airlines.

389
00:23:19,648 --> 00:23:23,777
And they lost a ton of bags.
That was our first airline.

390
00:23:23,860 --> 00:23:27,280
And now, we work with pretty much
all of them throughout the industry.

391
00:23:28,073 --> 00:23:30,534
NARRATOR: In 50 years of going
through other people's stuff,

392
00:23:31,118 --> 00:23:33,995
they've come across some surprising items.

393
00:23:35,038 --> 00:23:39,501
One of the most noteworthy to me
is the 40-carat Colombian emerald.

394
00:23:41,711 --> 00:23:45,549
It was in the toe of a sock,
rolled up in the corner of a suitcase.

395
00:23:46,466 --> 00:23:47,801
I don't think I'll ever forget it.

396
00:23:47,884 --> 00:23:50,554
(back-up beeper)

397
00:23:50,637 --> 00:23:51,763
NARRATOR:
Today,

398
00:23:51,847 --> 00:23:55,934
DeWayne is the guy delivering all this
unclaimed baggage to Scottsboro.

399
00:23:56,226 --> 00:23:58,603
And that's where this process begins.

400
00:24:00,689 --> 00:24:03,483
-Hi, Ms. Deborah, here's your next bag.
-Thank you.

401
00:24:06,778 --> 00:24:10,574
JENNIFER: As they're opening the bag,
going through their archaeological dig,

402
00:24:10,657 --> 00:24:12,868
they're deciding if we're gonna sell it,

403
00:24:12,951 --> 00:24:16,288
if we need to recycle it,
or if we need to donate it.

404
00:24:16,371 --> 00:24:19,666
And this is a nice surprise,
ceramic heater.

405
00:24:19,749 --> 00:24:21,585
We open bags, sort everything out,

406
00:24:21,668 --> 00:24:23,712
send them to the departments
where they belong.

407
00:24:23,795 --> 00:24:27,382
Oh! That's nice!
The Beatles. Yeah!

408
00:24:27,466 --> 00:24:33,013
-A third of everything we get is recycled.
-Nice pants, check the pockets.

409
00:24:33,889 --> 00:24:38,101
More underwear, everything
looks pretty fresh, that's nice.

410
00:24:38,185 --> 00:24:40,604
JENNIFER: So, obviously,
people travel with undergarments.

411
00:24:40,687 --> 00:24:43,648
We never sell any used undergarments.

412
00:24:43,732 --> 00:24:46,401
We're going to recycle
those with fabric waste.

413
00:24:46,485 --> 00:24:49,112
You will be amazed at
how many people travel

414
00:24:49,196 --> 00:24:51,323
with brand new and packaged underwear.

415
00:24:51,406 --> 00:24:53,825
We'll price those and put
them our sales floor to sell.

416
00:24:54,034 --> 00:24:56,995
DEBORAH: It does feel like I'm
stepping into somebody else's life.

417
00:24:57,078 --> 00:24:59,039
Feel like this might be a ukulele.

418
00:24:59,122 --> 00:25:03,293
And I like seeing where people have been.

419
00:25:03,376 --> 00:25:07,714
(chuckles) Make sure
it's in tune or out of tune.

420
00:25:07,797 --> 00:25:10,050
(out-of-tune plucking)

421
00:25:12,928 --> 00:25:17,474
The bags usually tell a story, and you
never know what you're going to find.

422
00:25:17,557 --> 00:25:21,353
And it's kind of an adventure,
kind of, at times.

423
00:25:21,436 --> 00:25:24,481
Sometimes it's a good adventure,
and sometimes not.

424
00:25:25,273 --> 00:25:29,027
So one of the most hair-raising things
we found at Unclaimed Baggage

425
00:25:29,110 --> 00:25:30,487
was a live rattlesnake.

426
00:25:31,154 --> 00:25:34,324
One of our openers,
as she was opening a duffel bag,

427
00:25:35,909 --> 00:25:38,870
a live rattlesnake
came slithering out of it.

428
00:25:38,954 --> 00:25:42,290
I think that they released it
out behind the building, yeah,

429
00:25:42,582 --> 00:25:46,086
to let him live on,
live another day. (laughs)

430
00:25:46,169 --> 00:25:47,879
$100, able to get $100, a hand!

431
00:25:47,963 --> 00:25:53,218
NARRATOR: In Pittsburgh, some of the most
surprising unclaimed items are cars.

432
00:25:53,301 --> 00:25:55,804
BOB: The abandoned vehicles are
always the most popular items.

433
00:25:55,887 --> 00:25:58,598
We're usually left with
between 10 and 20 cars a year.

434
00:25:59,849 --> 00:26:02,727
We contact the owners,
the police contact the owners,

435
00:26:02,811 --> 00:26:04,813
the Department of Transportation
contacts the owners.

436
00:26:05,230 --> 00:26:06,898
And if there's still
no response from those folks,

437
00:26:06,982 --> 00:26:08,858
then it comes to us for the auction.

438
00:26:08,942 --> 00:26:12,529
JOE: $2500 on that little Nissan.
$1000 bid, 12 and a half…

439
00:26:12,612 --> 00:26:14,614
$1000, able to get 12 and a half,
able to get 12 and a half,

440
00:26:14,698 --> 00:26:17,701
able to get 12 and a half, give $1100
dollars on a Nissan. Down 12…

441
00:26:17,784 --> 00:26:19,995
I think some of the cars
can be left behind

442
00:26:20,078 --> 00:26:22,872
if people are on maybe extended vacations.

443
00:26:22,956 --> 00:26:27,252
JOE: $1000, $2000, three, four…
four, four, five, five, six…

444
00:26:27,335 --> 00:26:28,545
BIDDER 1:
Yes, that's it!

445
00:26:29,254 --> 00:26:31,506
ELISE:
If the car doesn't have a lot of value,

446
00:26:31,590 --> 00:26:34,175
they may not want to pay
some of the parking fees,

447
00:26:34,259 --> 00:26:37,429
or the towing storage fees
that the airport would charge,

448
00:26:37,512 --> 00:26:39,556
and they just simply abandon the car.

449
00:26:39,639 --> 00:26:42,809
JOE:
Seven grand, 71? Sold at $7,000.

450
00:26:43,393 --> 00:26:47,355
NARRATOR: There are some left behind items
that hold more of a sentimental value.

451
00:26:47,439 --> 00:26:51,276
So… we got this bag a couple weeks ago,

452
00:26:52,736 --> 00:26:55,447
and I'm gonna do
a secondary research on it.

453
00:26:56,698 --> 00:27:00,368
We've got this brown case here.
Let's see what's in this case.

454
00:27:03,038 --> 00:27:05,040
Oh, interesting.

455
00:27:09,961 --> 00:27:13,423
(crowd chatters indistinctly)

456
00:27:14,507 --> 00:27:16,468
We got this brown case here.

457
00:27:16,551 --> 00:27:21,014
What we're looking at now is
a Ace hardware bag with a brown box.

458
00:27:21,097 --> 00:27:24,517
Photos, medals, military medals.

459
00:27:24,601 --> 00:27:28,146
Inside the box, what we
have are military medals,

460
00:27:28,229 --> 00:27:32,025
a name tag, and a lot of pictures.

461
00:27:32,108 --> 00:27:36,738
We've got a Naval Reserve
Organization Association card,

462
00:27:36,821 --> 00:27:39,658
and a Selective Services card.

463
00:27:39,866 --> 00:27:44,871
Since those are all in one person's name,
I'm gonna try and look him up.

464
00:27:45,497 --> 00:27:51,961
So I've got one person
in Kansas, they're 51,

465
00:27:53,004 --> 00:27:54,923
so that would not be them

466
00:27:55,006 --> 00:27:59,511
because the Selective Services
card is going back to '55.

467
00:28:00,470 --> 00:28:03,765
And then I have another
person, but they're deceased.

468
00:28:05,392 --> 00:28:08,561
We also have a photograph of a baby,

469
00:28:09,521 --> 00:28:14,275
which has a date of 1987,
and it also has her name on there.

470
00:28:14,984 --> 00:28:18,446
Let's try the young lady
that was actually on this picture.

471
00:28:18,530 --> 00:28:20,657
We have her listed here as well.

472
00:28:23,284 --> 00:28:27,747
I've been able to find several people that
appear to be associated with this person.

473
00:28:27,831 --> 00:28:30,125
I've placed several phone calls.

474
00:28:30,208 --> 00:28:32,711
Yes, hi, Maryanne.
My name is Tony.

475
00:28:32,794 --> 00:28:38,216
So hopefully, one of these people
know who this is and will call back.

476
00:28:42,220 --> 00:28:45,515
-Looks like shirts.
-NARRATOR: Back in Alabama,

477
00:28:45,598 --> 00:28:48,935
a third of all the luggage Unclaimed
Baggage receives is sold.

478
00:28:49,602 --> 00:28:51,980
And it looks clean, but we'll launder it.

479
00:28:52,063 --> 00:28:54,107
(rumbling)

480
00:28:55,066 --> 00:28:56,025
(steam hissing)

481
00:28:56,109 --> 00:28:58,278
EMPLOYEE:
We're very proud of our laundry facility.

482
00:28:58,361 --> 00:29:01,948
We are actually the largest
in the state of Alabama.

483
00:29:02,031 --> 00:29:06,953
We process more in one month than
most of them do in an entire year.

484
00:29:07,662 --> 00:29:10,415
It's just surprising what people
take in their luggage. (laughs)

485
00:29:10,498 --> 00:29:16,212
Dishes, silverware, water bottles,
(laughs) there is a lot of those.

486
00:29:17,213 --> 00:29:20,216
I guess the one that stands out
the most, I've washed car mats.

487
00:29:20,300 --> 00:29:22,844
Why somebody took that on
their vacation, I don't know. (laughs)

488
00:29:24,220 --> 00:29:26,556
NARRATOR:
Electronics get the full work-up too.

489
00:29:28,391 --> 00:29:30,852
The most we get in is usually
headphones, stuff like that,

490
00:29:30,935 --> 00:29:34,898
so it's really just getting
all germs, everything, cleaned off.

491
00:29:35,857 --> 00:29:39,152
After we clean them, we test them
to make sure they're functioning.

492
00:29:39,569 --> 00:29:42,947
JENNIFER: And from there,
they're gonna data-wipe everything.

493
00:29:44,491 --> 00:29:46,868
Our pricers will then price
the merchandise

494
00:29:46,951 --> 00:29:52,707
whether it's apparel, shoes, jewelry,
accessories, electronics.

495
00:29:54,501 --> 00:29:57,670
NARRATOR: The jewelry counter is
where you'll find some big-ticket items.

496
00:29:58,129 --> 00:30:02,342
CLERK 3: This diamond engagement ring
appraised for a little over $10,000,

497
00:30:02,425 --> 00:30:04,886
and we have it listed
for a little over $5,000.

498
00:30:05,386 --> 00:30:07,764
This is an emerald and
diamond tennis bracelet.

499
00:30:07,847 --> 00:30:12,101
We have it listed
at a little over $14,000.

500
00:30:12,185 --> 00:30:15,021
NARRATOR: But there are some
things you can't put a price tag on.

501
00:30:15,355 --> 00:30:16,397
In the '90s,

502
00:30:16,689 --> 00:30:20,026
a shipping container showed up with
a guidance system for fighter jets.

503
00:30:20,401 --> 00:30:25,156
BRYAN: And it said, "Department of the US
Navy, handle with extreme caution,

504
00:30:25,240 --> 00:30:26,699
I am worth my weight in gold."

505
00:30:27,951 --> 00:30:30,286
NARRATOR:
The actual gold is authenticated,

506
00:30:30,370 --> 00:30:33,164
appraised, priced, and put on the floor.

507
00:30:36,584 --> 00:30:39,796
These look like they are diamonds,

508
00:30:39,879 --> 00:30:43,925
but then I can also use my diamond
tester, and it does test diamond.

509
00:30:48,221 --> 00:30:50,932
This ruby ring is currently
the most expensive item in the store.

510
00:30:52,600 --> 00:30:54,185
(cash register ding)

511
00:30:54,269 --> 00:30:59,524
The most expensive item we've ever sold
in our store was a men's platinum Rolex.

512
00:30:59,649 --> 00:31:00,900
(cash register ding)

513
00:31:02,110 --> 00:31:07,615
It's just a pretty cool experience to come
be a part of and see what all people lose.

514
00:31:08,783 --> 00:31:11,619
Okay, lot number one,
we have a whole lot of earrings…

515
00:31:11,703 --> 00:31:13,830
NARRATOR:
Some of the lost jewelry in Pittsburgh

516
00:31:13,913 --> 00:31:16,416
has people scratching their heads.

517
00:31:16,499 --> 00:31:19,627
ELISE: We are always surprised
with how many wedding rings

518
00:31:19,711 --> 00:31:21,546
are turned in to the lost and found,

519
00:31:21,629 --> 00:31:24,299
mainly men's wedding rings,
we're not sure why.

520
00:31:24,382 --> 00:31:26,175
A lot of them are claimed,

521
00:31:26,259 --> 00:31:30,555
but there are still a good amount that
are turned over to us at the auction.

522
00:31:31,222 --> 00:31:35,727
We also this year have a pair of
stiletto heels that are brand new,

523
00:31:36,019 --> 00:31:40,356
so I think that will maybe
draw in the ladies. (laughs)

524
00:31:41,107 --> 00:31:44,110
BOB: I think that people are interested
in just seeing what items are left behind.

525
00:31:46,779 --> 00:31:52,160
Hi, I lost a case of harmonicas.
Is there any chance you guys have it?

526
00:31:52,243 --> 00:31:54,162
Okay, let me go see if I can find it.

527
00:31:54,829 --> 00:31:57,498
HARMONICA MAN: I grabbed it off the plane,
and then I was coming here,

528
00:31:57,582 --> 00:32:02,086
and I went outside to wait for my ride,
and I just set it against the wall.

529
00:32:03,630 --> 00:32:04,881
I thought for sure that it was gone.

530
00:32:06,633 --> 00:32:08,009
Yeah. (laughs)

531
00:32:08,885 --> 00:32:12,180
Thankfully, some kind
soul decided to turn it in.

532
00:32:12,639 --> 00:32:14,724
They were pretty intrigued
by what was inside. (laughs)

533
00:32:14,807 --> 00:32:16,559
Thank you so much.
I really appreciate it.

534
00:32:16,643 --> 00:32:17,602
AGENT 6:
You're very welcome.

535
00:32:18,436 --> 00:32:22,732
(harmonica riff)

536
00:32:27,695 --> 00:32:29,530
Yeah, they still work. (laughs)

537
00:32:31,699 --> 00:32:34,243
NARRATOR: If you lose an
item at one of Paris's airports,

538
00:32:34,535 --> 00:32:39,040
it will eventually end up at the world's
very first lost and found office.

539
00:32:39,415 --> 00:32:44,087
Established by Napoleon in 1804,
the Bureau of Found Objects

540
00:32:44,170 --> 00:32:50,885
has received a human skull, a taxidermy
lobster, and a saber from 1892.

541
00:32:51,469 --> 00:32:53,888
This is one that came in last month.

542
00:32:54,472 --> 00:32:58,226
NARRATOR: But in Seattle, some of
the lost items end up with this guy.

543
00:32:58,309 --> 00:33:03,523
LEE: The logo on here doesn't
appear to go with any sort of school.

544
00:33:05,149 --> 00:33:09,445
I'm looking for something that may
talk about a particular school,

545
00:33:09,529 --> 00:33:12,240
then I can know a particular
city where that person lives.

546
00:33:13,282 --> 00:33:19,122
When we go to get a name, a lot of times
it helps if we have middle initials,

547
00:33:19,414 --> 00:33:24,127
information like that,
or a city will help as well.

548
00:33:24,752 --> 00:33:26,337
What we have…

549
00:33:29,716 --> 00:33:31,175
is a kid's Kindle Fire.

550
00:33:31,676 --> 00:33:36,097
On that Kindle Fire tablet, the parent
had set up two profiles for the kids,

551
00:33:36,681 --> 00:33:42,103
he just used initials for the children.
We got a name and a middle initial.

552
00:33:42,854 --> 00:33:45,565
PA SYSTEM: Did you lose
something? File a lost item…

553
00:33:45,648 --> 00:33:48,401
We might get lucky with this name.

554
00:33:49,277 --> 00:33:55,033
I have different databases that I can use,
and if it's a unique enough name,

555
00:33:55,324 --> 00:33:57,744
I can try to track down
the owner that way.

556
00:33:57,827 --> 00:33:59,996
We only got one, let's give her a call.

557
00:34:00,079 --> 00:34:03,750
Sometimes, the time zone can
help me kinda pinpoint the region

558
00:34:03,833 --> 00:34:06,794
and increase the chances that
I'm actually getting the correct person.

559
00:34:07,754 --> 00:34:10,965
Hi, this is Detective Donlan with
the Port of Seattle Police Department.

560
00:34:11,049 --> 00:34:15,511
Sometimes, there's enough
breadcrumbs of items in a particular bag

561
00:34:15,887 --> 00:34:17,513
that allows me to kinda track them down.

562
00:34:17,597 --> 00:34:21,142
Yeah, yeah, Curious George
is here, he's sitting on my desk.

563
00:34:21,225 --> 00:34:26,397
Yep, so we got the Kindle,
the backpack, the colorful backpack,

564
00:34:26,481 --> 00:34:30,151
the Curious George,
and we'll get 'em home.

565
00:34:31,736 --> 00:34:33,821
NARRATOR: Curious George is
lucky he'll make it home.

566
00:34:34,447 --> 00:34:38,993
But at Unclaimed Baggage, millions of
items end up in other people's homes.

567
00:34:39,619 --> 00:34:42,538
Some of those items
aren't what you'd expect.

568
00:34:43,247 --> 00:34:45,166
It's amazing what people travel with.

569
00:34:45,249 --> 00:34:47,794
WOMAN: About 20 years ago,
they had this on a mannequin,

570
00:34:47,877 --> 00:34:51,130
and I mean, "Oh,"
I said, "is that for sale?"

571
00:34:51,214 --> 00:34:53,299
and they said, "Yes,"
and I said, "I want it."

572
00:34:53,382 --> 00:34:59,806
This is a charm bracelet-- that I have
been collecting charms for several years.

573
00:34:59,889 --> 00:35:01,432
JENNIFER:
One of the most interesting things

574
00:35:01,516 --> 00:35:04,310
that we've gotten consistently over the
years have been wedding gowns.

575
00:35:04,393 --> 00:35:07,396
I can remember at least
two full suits of armor.

576
00:35:07,480 --> 00:35:10,525
We've had a number of kilts,
a number of bagpipes.

577
00:35:10,608 --> 00:35:13,069
BRYON:
We actually had a camera show up

578
00:35:13,152 --> 00:35:17,365
that was a camera for the space shuttle
and had been on space shuttle missions,

579
00:35:17,448 --> 00:35:19,951
and we got that
back into the hands of NASA.

580
00:35:21,244 --> 00:35:23,204
NARRATOR:
For the Seattle Airport Lost and Found,

581
00:35:23,955 --> 00:35:26,415
getting items back into
the right hands is the goal.

582
00:35:26,916 --> 00:35:28,751
MICHELLE:
Okay, so we'll get the label.

583
00:35:29,168 --> 00:35:32,296
That's a possible owner
because it matches the medication.

584
00:35:32,380 --> 00:35:35,716
We'll give them a call.
Mrs. Kim? Oh, it's your mom?

585
00:35:35,967 --> 00:35:40,012
Oh, gotcha. You know,
we found vegetables and fish in there.

586
00:35:40,179 --> 00:35:43,474
I did find a match for
the bag with the raw fish.

587
00:35:43,558 --> 00:35:45,434
Looks like they did file a lost report.

588
00:35:45,518 --> 00:35:50,148
And unfortunately, it can't stay in the
bag, so we have to throw them away. Okay?

589
00:35:50,231 --> 00:35:53,484
The bag is confirmed with the owner,
and they will pick it up tomorrow.

590
00:35:53,985 --> 00:35:55,736
Alright, we'll see you tomorrow, Mr. Kim.

591
00:35:58,239 --> 00:36:02,160
NARRATOR: At the end of the day, there
are ultimately items that go unclaimed.

592
00:36:03,035 --> 00:36:05,538
Many of them are donated
to various organizations.

593
00:36:06,205 --> 00:36:08,583
But some go to the dogs.

594
00:36:08,666 --> 00:36:12,295
LEE: Our bomb canine unit
uses some of the suitcases

595
00:36:12,378 --> 00:36:15,923
and clothing items and even
some of the cosmetics,

596
00:36:16,007 --> 00:36:19,635
and toiletry items in these unclaimed bags

597
00:36:19,719 --> 00:36:22,722
because they're able to then
incorporate that into their training

598
00:36:22,805 --> 00:36:24,098
for their bomb dogs.

599
00:36:26,726 --> 00:36:28,311
JOE:
Good morning again, ladies and gentlemen.

600
00:36:28,394 --> 00:36:30,188
We'd like to welcome
you all to the auction.

601
00:36:30,271 --> 00:36:33,691
LEE: If the electronics are still in good
shape, we can send them off to auction.

602
00:36:33,774 --> 00:36:38,112
JOE: And lost and found from
the airport accumulation for the…

603
00:36:38,196 --> 00:36:40,656
We're here at Pittsburgh International
Airport's annual auction.

604
00:36:41,324 --> 00:36:43,910
JOE: We're getting ready to
auction off all the lost and found

605
00:36:43,993 --> 00:36:47,371
and items that were abandoned throughout
the last year here at the airport.

606
00:36:47,455 --> 00:36:49,707
Come on down,
let's have a sale, sale time!

607
00:36:51,626 --> 00:36:55,296
It's always interesting to see
what items get left here.

608
00:36:56,589 --> 00:37:00,676
BIDDER 2: I'm looking for
hardware, either myself or for resale.

609
00:37:00,760 --> 00:37:03,679
BIDDER 3:
When I saw these lots of laptops,

610
00:37:03,763 --> 00:37:06,224
I'm hoping to donate them
to my civil air patrol unit.

611
00:37:06,307 --> 00:37:08,392
BIDDER 4:
Electronics, ear pods.

612
00:37:08,476 --> 00:37:13,564
I would bid on that truck, but she'll kill
me if I drive it home, so I can't do that.

613
00:37:14,899 --> 00:37:16,984
BIDDER 5:
That Mini Cooper seems like a nice car.

614
00:37:17,068 --> 00:37:18,486
I'm gonna bid on it and see what happens.

615
00:37:18,569 --> 00:37:21,447
JOE: The auction company
will accept a money order,

616
00:37:21,530 --> 00:37:23,532
cashier's check, certified check.

617
00:37:23,616 --> 00:37:25,576
BOB: This year there's a Mini
Cooper, and the pick-up truck,

618
00:37:26,035 --> 00:37:28,996
so personally I'm interested to see
what are the cars going for.

619
00:37:29,080 --> 00:37:30,665
Those are always
the big-ticket items here.

620
00:37:30,748 --> 00:37:33,793
One of the cars we did have, it was
a former Pittsburgh Steelers player.

621
00:37:33,960 --> 00:37:37,129
He had since moved on to Chicago.
His car was parked here in the lot,

622
00:37:37,296 --> 00:37:40,049
and he just never responded
and didn't come back and get his car,

623
00:37:40,132 --> 00:37:43,344
so it ultimately went to auction.
It was a Cadillac Escalade.

624
00:37:44,011 --> 00:37:45,805
NARRATOR:
At London's Heathrow Airport,

625
00:37:45,888 --> 00:37:48,766
the unclaimed baggage gets
auctioned off twice a month.

626
00:37:49,183 --> 00:37:53,354
The difference here is there's
no peeking in the bags before you bid.

627
00:37:53,437 --> 00:37:58,359
Going once, anybody bid 15,000,
going twice, anybody bid 15,000,

628
00:37:59,151 --> 00:38:02,113
sold at $14,750.

629
00:38:02,196 --> 00:38:04,365
NARRATOR:
Out of all the left behind items,

630
00:38:04,782 --> 00:38:08,577
the Mini Cooper brought in the most cash.
But every single item was sold.

631
00:38:08,661 --> 00:38:10,162
BIDDER 6.
This is totally crazy,

632
00:38:10,246 --> 00:38:13,541
I had not expected any
kind of… this kind of stuff.

633
00:38:13,624 --> 00:38:16,669
But being a big fan of the NFL
and the Steelers,

634
00:38:17,128 --> 00:38:19,630
I got a couple of game-worn jerseys.

635
00:38:19,755 --> 00:38:20,631
(indistinct voices)

636
00:38:20,840 --> 00:38:24,093
Nice and dirty, meaning
they're game worn. (laughs)

637
00:38:24,176 --> 00:38:28,889
I won six lots of jewelry. How
much did I spend? $2600.

638
00:38:28,973 --> 00:38:35,062
-$275 for five iPhones, that's not bad.
-$8,000 which was actually our limit.

639
00:38:35,146 --> 00:38:38,858
Why not go for the shoes,
especially the red-bottom shoes.

640
00:38:38,941 --> 00:38:41,402
I think it's still setting
in that I actually won them.

641
00:38:41,861 --> 00:38:46,032
BOB: Most years, the Airport Authority
auction raises more than $150,000.

642
00:38:46,115 --> 00:38:48,200
The money that's raised goes
to the Airport Authority Foundation

643
00:38:48,284 --> 00:38:50,828
which supports military scholarships,
those types of things.

644
00:38:50,911 --> 00:38:53,748
Yeah, this was our first time.
Probably won't be the last though.

645
00:38:53,831 --> 00:38:55,374
Oh yeah, I'll come
back next year for sure.

646
00:38:55,458 --> 00:38:56,959
Go home and play with our new toys.

647
00:38:57,043 --> 00:38:58,044
(plane engine)

648
00:39:01,380 --> 00:39:04,467
NARRATOR: An auction is one way
to get rid of unclaimed baggage.

649
00:39:04,925 --> 00:39:06,927
But at the Unclaimed Baggage Center,

650
00:39:07,219 --> 00:39:11,057
there's so much lost stuff,
it's impossible to sell it all.

651
00:39:13,392 --> 00:39:18,397
At Unclaimed Baggage, you might think
you'd find a lot of, well, baggage.

652
00:39:18,898 --> 00:39:20,274
But that's not the case.

653
00:39:22,193 --> 00:39:23,194
DIANE:
Many years ago,

654
00:39:23,277 --> 00:39:27,782
we started donating luggage to the
Department of Human Resources,

655
00:39:28,449 --> 00:39:31,660
and that actually came
from a newspaper article

656
00:39:31,744 --> 00:39:35,998
that had talked about foster children,
and they were giving them garbage bags.

657
00:39:36,082 --> 00:39:39,668
And so I remember
just being taken by that article.

658
00:39:44,965 --> 00:39:48,302
NARRATOR: Unclaimed Baggage decided
to take matters into their own hands.

659
00:39:49,929 --> 00:39:54,141
DIANE: We stopped all luggage going
to the floor, anything that we sold,

660
00:39:54,225 --> 00:39:56,477
and we started holding
these for about two weeks.

661
00:39:57,978 --> 00:39:59,939
And I can remember calling
them and saying,

662
00:40:00,022 --> 00:40:03,984
"We're on our way with our first load,"
and we filled the sidewalks.

663
00:40:05,194 --> 00:40:07,530
We decided no children in our community

664
00:40:07,613 --> 00:40:09,782
was going to go with
a black bag ever again.

665
00:40:11,075 --> 00:40:14,328
And then we started the decorating,
we thought, "Hey, look, this is a gift."

666
00:40:15,246 --> 00:40:17,081
So that's why we
decided to start painting it.

667
00:40:19,750 --> 00:40:22,378
NARRATOR: The last third of the luggage
that ends up at Unclaimed Baggage

668
00:40:23,087 --> 00:40:24,088
gets donated.

669
00:40:25,297 --> 00:40:30,678
We get so much excess, there could
be no way that we could sell it all.

670
00:40:31,846 --> 00:40:35,266
And so we have found
partners to get this product

671
00:40:35,349 --> 00:40:37,768
into the hands of people that can use it.

672
00:40:37,852 --> 00:40:41,355
The cosmetics that are in the bag,
we can put those in the back…

673
00:40:41,439 --> 00:40:44,316
I have a small charity organization,

674
00:40:44,775 --> 00:40:50,030
and I've come to pick up some
donations from Unclaimed Baggage.

675
00:40:52,324 --> 00:40:57,329
Couple of years ago, a buddy of mine,
both Navy Vietnam veterans,

676
00:40:57,413 --> 00:40:59,915
were traveling down the road,
and we saw a veteran,

677
00:40:59,999 --> 00:41:03,586
he was homeless, and he didn't have
a coat, and it was pretty cold outside,

678
00:41:03,669 --> 00:41:06,255
so my buddy and I went
and purchased a coat for him.

679
00:41:06,964 --> 00:41:08,132
And then we decided that,

680
00:41:08,215 --> 00:41:12,094
"Wait a while, maybe there's more people
out there," so him and I went around,

681
00:41:12,344 --> 00:41:15,764
looking for veterans or basically
anybody that needed a coat.

682
00:41:16,474 --> 00:41:18,601
My dentist up here informed me that,

683
00:41:18,684 --> 00:41:22,563
"Hey, Unclaimed Baggage has a
department that they donate stuff.

684
00:41:22,646 --> 00:41:23,606
Why don't you talk to 'em?"

685
00:41:23,689 --> 00:41:29,987
Then the whole thing just exploded 'cause
now we had access to hundreds of coats.

686
00:41:30,529 --> 00:41:33,782
Our charity became
a distributorship if you will.

687
00:41:33,866 --> 00:41:35,576
We found people who needed stuff,

688
00:41:36,160 --> 00:41:40,789
we had a sponsor that would give
that to us, and we just gave it out.

689
00:41:40,873 --> 00:41:43,709
And that's how it is right now.
That's what we been doing.

690
00:41:45,002 --> 00:41:47,630
JENNIFER: I cannot begin to
give you a number of…

691
00:41:47,713 --> 00:41:51,091
tens of thousands of pairs
of eyewear, probably each year,

692
00:41:51,300 --> 00:41:52,468
comes through our store.

693
00:41:53,677 --> 00:41:59,642
MAN: One year, we got 55,000 pairs of
glasses and sunglasses from Unclaimed.

694
00:42:01,018 --> 00:42:03,938
These are top-notch glasses and readers.

695
00:42:04,438 --> 00:42:08,108
I mean, the readers, these folks
on airplanes don't buy cheap readers.

696
00:42:10,277 --> 00:42:12,071
JENNIFER:
With all the giving that we do,

697
00:42:12,154 --> 00:42:14,448
we do still have
luggage available in store.

698
00:42:14,532 --> 00:42:17,201
What would Unclaimed Baggage
be without a few bags on the shelves?

699
00:42:17,284 --> 00:42:19,119
(indistinct chatter)

700
00:42:22,748 --> 00:42:26,335
MARYANNE'S MOM: Does it have a lot of
little knickknacks in that brown box?

701
00:42:26,710 --> 00:42:27,545
Yes ma'am.

702
00:42:27,628 --> 00:42:31,382
MARYANNE: Yeah, it's my dad,
and it has all these tiny little pins.

703
00:42:31,465 --> 00:42:32,841
TONY:
You got my voicemail?

704
00:42:32,925 --> 00:42:36,220
MARYANNE'S MOM:
No, this is my daughter's phone number.

705
00:42:36,303 --> 00:42:37,263
Ah, okay.

706
00:42:37,346 --> 00:42:39,306
MARYANNE'S MOM: I don't know
how that even transpired.

707
00:42:39,390 --> 00:42:41,183
TONY:
There was a baby picture of her.

708
00:42:41,559 --> 00:42:44,270
We saw the name, and we were
able to look it up by the name.

709
00:42:44,353 --> 00:42:48,607
We went through LinkedIn,
and True People Search and everything.

710
00:42:48,691 --> 00:42:52,444
-MARYANNE'S MOM: Wow!
-The woman who called back

711
00:42:53,112 --> 00:42:57,866
was actually the daughter of the
gentleman that the box belonged to,

712
00:42:58,367 --> 00:43:00,995
and he is deceased.

713
00:43:01,662 --> 00:43:04,540
MARYANNE'S MOM:
It wasn't me that left it, it was my son.

714
00:43:04,623 --> 00:43:06,875
So thank you so much for returning…

715
00:43:06,959 --> 00:43:11,338
'Cause that is a real memory thing.
It was his grandfather's.

716
00:43:11,422 --> 00:43:13,841
-TONY: Right.
-MARYANNE'S MOM: And he really wanted it.

717
00:43:14,091 --> 00:43:17,678
TONY: She asked that we keep the item for
her for a few days until she gets here.

718
00:43:18,345 --> 00:43:19,847
MARYANNE'S MOM:
And we'll see you Wednesday.

719
00:43:19,930 --> 00:43:21,974
Yes, ma'am. I'll be here bright-eyed.

720
00:43:24,101 --> 00:43:27,605
NARRATOR: So what did happen to all the
lost items we've been tracking?

721
00:43:46,999 --> 00:43:48,876
What's the best thing about my job?

722
00:43:50,336 --> 00:43:54,423
Seeing the joy in people's face
when their item is returned.