Despite rising checked luggage fees and the demise of Southest’s much-loved ‘Bags Fly Free’ policy, in 2024, airlines carried a record number of passengers and in the United States many of those passengers still checked a suitcase into the aircraft hold.
In fact, in July 2024 alone, 45.6 million bags were checked according to Department of Transportation (DOT) statistics that also look at how many of those bags were delayed or lost by airlines.
Despite the many horror stories you may have heard, airlines are logistics experts and even when a bag does get misplaced, in the vast majority of cases, airlines eventually manage to reunite them with their rightful owner.
In a very small number of occasions, however, misplaced bags are classed as permanently lost even if they are knocking around an airport somewhere. For July 2024, that accounted for less than 0.5% of checked bags, whose owners couldn’t be tracked down.
So what happens to these bags and, perhaps more importantly, what are their contents?
After a 90-day search for the owner, these bags could end up at Unclaimed Baggage in Scottsboro, Alabama, the only retailer of lost luggage in the United States, where the contents are carefully unpacked and either sold, recycled, or donated to charity.
Unclaimed Luggage has been sifting through the contents of lost bags since the 1970s, and in that time, employees have spent 32,000 hours finding weird, wonderful, and some downright odd finds.
It turns out that 2024 was another bumper year for Unclaimed Luggage with some of last year’s finds including a $20,000 Rolex 18-karat gold President Osyter perpetual day-date watch, a $9,000 Louis Vuitton cross body bag, and an 18-karat white solitaire diamond ring which was valued at $39,000.
Not all of the finds are, however, quite so impressive. Unclaimed Luggage was discovered a freeze-dried chicken foot in one lost bag, while other baffling finds in 2024 included a glass eye, a toilet seat, and a preserved rattlesnake in a jar of whiskey.
For lovers of 1980s movies, Unclaimed Luggage also found a movie script from the cult classic, Goonies, as well as a full sheet of uncut $2 bills.
The discoveries often paint a rich picture of American life and current cultural trends. Stanley Cups became an increasingly popular find in 2024, along with Lululemon leggings and cross-body bags.
Taylor Swift also made her influence known on Unclaimed Luggage, with concert merch, friendship bracelets, and sequinned outfits also getting plucked out of multiple lost bags.
Several hotel thieves also cropped up in 2024. One bag contained a hotel television and remote control, while in another, a traveler had swiped a Keurig coffee machine, along with the K-cups and condiments from a hotel.
“Left behind luggage gives us a snapshot of passengers’ lives,” commented Sonni Hood, who is the Senior Manager of PR and Communications and Unclaimed Luggage.
“The world of lost luggage is full of stories to ponder and surprises to behold – some more unexpected than others,” Owens continued.
Despite airlines getting better at not losing checked luggage, it doesn’t sound like Unclaimed Luggage has any fear of going out of business. The operation now has a 50,000-square-foot retail facility, and its online shop attracts millions of visitors from around the world.
To avoid your stuff ending up at Unclaimed Luggage, Owens says travelers should avoid black hard sided suitcases because they all look the same, or, at the very least, add a bright colored strap or stickers to make it stand out and distinguish it from everyone elses case.
Owens also suggests that travelers use an Apple AirTag to help airlines track down a suitcase if it goes missing. As for expensive items, either make sure they stay on your person or just play it safe and leave them at home.
