WASHINGTON — If you accidentally leave something at airport security, you shouldn’t be too hard on yourself — it happens approximately 90,000 to 100,000 times a month.
Don’t worry: Recovering items is easy enough.
The Transportation Security Administration has “a pretty robust” Lost and Found program. “Especially at the largest airports,” said TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein.
The numbers for TSA lost and found offices in the Washington/Baltimore region:
- Dulles International Airport: 703-662-2234
- BWI Marshall Airport: 410-689-3620
- Reagan National Airport: 703-603-2516
“Odds are you’ll get a recording, and you should leave a very detailed recording with your name, your contact information and as detailed a description as possible of the item,” Farbstein said.
“Once we locate it, we’ll call you back. If we don’t locate it, we’ll call you back as well.”
At your expense, TSA will return an item by mail or you can pick it up at the airport.
If you lose an item someplace other than security, you’ll need to contact either the airport or your airline. Check with your airline for items lost during the check-in process.
To try to find items lost at gates, in restrooms, shops or restaurants, you should contact the airport. Here’s more information for Reagan National, Dulles and BWI Marshall, and all will allow you to report missing items by filling out forms online.
To assist any potentially needed recovery process, consider labeling items with a business card or return address label.
“I think my all-time favorite item that I saw somebody leave at a checkpoint was a child’s port-a-potty,” Farbstein said. “And, I’m happy to say that the folks contacted us and it was returned to them.”
