Experts reveal what really happens if you lose your phone on a flight and why you’re unlikely to get it back
A TEAM of travel experts have revealed what happens when holidaymakers lose their phone on flights.
Consumer watchdog Which? surveyed the experiences of thousands of its members to find out how many had lost an electronic item, like a mobile phone or a tablet, on a flight.
Of the 89 Which? members who’d lost a phone on a flight, only 48 per cent had the item successfully returned.
The consumer watchdog then lost four iPhones on flights with four airlines to investigate whether the devices were found.
Phones were deliberately lost on flights with British Airways, easyJet, Jet2 and Ryanair.
The phones were lost on return flights from Europe landing in an airport in the UK, with Apple‘s “Find My Phone” feature activated on each occasion.
While phones were lost on British Airways and easyJet flights, the devices were returned on Jet2 and Ryanair flights.
On a British Airways flight from Larnaca to London Heathrow, Which? purposely lost an iPhone.
According to the research, Which? was unable to contact British Airways directly because its lost property is outsourced to a third-party company called Smarte Carte.
While iPhone tracking initially showed the device was near the plane, its location moved to a cottage near Windsor, some 15 miles from the airport.
Which? reported the location to the police who confirmed the address was not linked to a Heathrow employee.
Because the iPhone stopped broadcasting its live location, police were unable to recover the device.
A spokesperson from British Airways said: “It is nonsense to say British Airways does not care about our customers’ property.
“Our crews remind customers upon arrival at their destination to check they have all their belongings before leaving the aircraft.
“In the unlikely event that belongings are left behind, we follow a process managed by Heathrow Airport and their third-party supplier, Smarte Carte, like other airlines at the airport”.
The investigation team at Which? had a similar experience with low-cost carrier easyJet.
Researchers left an iPhone on a flight from Nice to London Luton and claim they could not speak to a staff member at the airline.
They were instead directed to baggage handler Menzies and were asked to log the lost item on a third-party website.
A spokesperson from easyJet commented: “We have procedures in place to reunite customers with items they may have left behind when they are found on board or handed in, and unfortunately this item wasn’t found onboard or handed in.”.
Both devices lost on Ryanair and Jet2 flights were returned to the Which? investigators.
Just like with the other airlines, Jet2 told the consumer watchdog team to contact a third party after the phone was lost on a flight from Alicante to Birmingham.
After contacting the lost property office at Birmingham International Airport, the iPhone was found – although researchers had to pay £27 to claim the phone back.
Sun Online Travel have contacted Jet2 for comment.
The Which? team deliberately lost another iPhone on a flight from Malta to Stansted.
Despite planes being cleaned between flights, the final iPhone in the study was found in Bari, Italy, where a €60 (£50.20) courier fee was required to send the phone back to the UK.
Sun Online Travel have contacted Ryanair for comment.
Rory Boland, Editor of Which? Travel, said: “Frustratingly, in the vital first few hours after an item is lost, there’s no way of getting in touch with the airline to help. Even if you can see it’s still on the plane, you’ll be directed to airport staff or a third-party company.
“How hard can it be for airlines, who have staff onboard, to organise for lost items to be handed in and secured so that their customers are reunited. As it stands, most carriers won’t even pick up the phone to help.”
One useful gadget Brits should take on holiday
Kyle Hotchkiss Carone is boss of Grand Tour Hospitality in New York and travels a lot for work, as well as being a big part of the hotel industry.
Whenever he travels, he always makes sure to find an old phone – just in case he needs a back up.
He started doing this following several experiences that left him without a handset while abroad.
He told Stuff NZ: “One time in Paris, I lost my phone and I had to spend $2000 (£1585) for a new iPhone.
“I’ve also had a phone stolen on the beach in Rio – a whole team of kids that came and stole my phone right out of my hand – and one that submerged into the Aegean. So now I never discard my old iPhones.
“Whenever I’m packing for a trip, I always throw one in my bag. I bring a spare one and an extra SIM wherever I go. The cards cost about $10 (£8). You can call your carrier and tell them to switch your number to that SIM and use it in the old iPhone.”
Kyle isn’t the only person to recommend taking an old handset with you just in case you need a spare.
Traveller Lisa Garcia, who runs the website Practical Wanderlust, also takes an old one with her – sometimes even more than one.
Meanwhile, this Brit was left with a £20,973 bill after making a simple phone mistake on holiday.
And here’s also how to avoid expensive roaming charges on holiday.