PHOENIX — Did you hear about what happened to Brittney Griner at the airport?
No. Not that airport. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport.
Griner – all-star forward – lost her Louis Vuitton wallet at “America’s friendliest airport.” No special treatment here: The wallet found its way to the same place as 1,200 random items every month. Purses, wallets and keys are abundant, but passengers have also left behind dentures, hearing aids — even prosthetic limbs. Lost and found supervisor Leisha Walker has seen it all.
“We have people coming in here and they are crying at the windows and wanting to give us food, which we can’t take, or gift cards, and we can’t take,” Walker said. “That is part of our job.”
Approximately 130,000 passengers fly in and out of Sky Harbor every day. If you lose something on the plane or at the gate, Walker’s team can’t help you — airlines have their own lost and found. So does TSA.
But that iPad left outside the security checkpoint or a vape pen deserted on the sky train have a good chance of ending up in the airport's lost and found.
Once there, items are bagged and tagged with unique reference numbers. In some cases, Walker and her staff put on their detective hats. A lot of effort goes into finding who an item belongs to.
“Call us the nosy ones,” Walker said. “We look through planners, looking for any type of cards or anything, if there’s any type of documentation in there.”
Lost and found staff also snoop through cell phones, if they can be unlocked.
“Look for numbers who say ‘mom,’ ‘dad,’ ‘husband,’ ‘wife’ or we’ll call back the last known call," Walker said.
The clock starts ticking once an item is logged. The lost and found office holds belongings for 30 days. Clothes and shoes that overstay their welcome are donated to the Salvation Army. Driver’s licenses and passports are shredded. In the past, more valuable items, like electronics, we handed over to Phoenix police. Soon, those items could be going to the highest bidder.
Sky Harbor is finalizing a contract with Sierra Auctions, which already auctions off retired airport buses. Walker said any revenue generated at auction is deposited into the airport’s aviation surplus account.
About roughly 75% of items find their way home, Walker said.
“Normally on Mondays, we have call volume and they are probably on hold for about 30 minutes or so,” she said
She wants travelers to know that staff truly care. Whether it’s a teddy bear or a tote bag, they are rooting for you.
“Keep us in mind,” Walker said. “We’re here.”
Oh – and Griner’s wallet? Walker said she got it back.