Dubai: The Dubai-based Emirates airline returned over 15,000 lost items to its passengers in a single year before the pandemic struck, the airline told Gulf News on Monday.
Of these items, 2,076 items were handed over to their owners within one hour, while 2,938 items were delivered within six hours of their going missing.
Close on the heels of its home delivery of a custom-made Apple watch to a passenger all the way in the US last week, the airline said it takes its responsibility to recover and return lost items to its owners very seriously.
The passenger, Youtuber Casey Neisat, had taken to Twitter last Monday to say he had left his watch at the Dubai airport, following which Emirates responded to him, saying they would look for it. Within three hours, the airline informed him that they had found the watch and were working on getting it to him safely.
Dedicated team
Sharing details about its services to recover and return lost items, it said: “We have a dedicated team of Emirates Group Security personnel who work hand in hand with Dubai airports, police and other law enforcement agencies to handle lost items, work diligently to locate their owners, and help reunite them as quickly and efficiently as possible. This is especially true for connecting passengers who spend a short time with us while transiting at Dubai International airport.”
According to an Emirates spokesperson, the airline has a full-fledged policy to deal with lost-and-found items.
Golden Hour Philosophy
“We have developed the ‘Golden Hour Philosophy’ where items left behind that are considered essential to a person’s daily life (such as travel documents, wallets and purses, mobile phones and other electronic devices) are prioritised to be returned to their owner within one hour or before their connecting flight,” the spokesperson said.
“Using this method, we were able to return over 15,000 items to our customers in 2019, of which 2,076 items were reunited with their owners during the ‘Golden Hour’, and 2,938 items delivered within six hours, as teams continued to work hard and meet customer expectations for safety and reliability,” the spokesperson added.
