Airlines say they are warehousing hundreds of iPads and other tablet computers and e-readers left behind by travelers. Carriers try to reunite the devices with their owners but are often thwarted by the lack of ID tags, password protection and Apple’s reluctance to track down owners based on serial numbers.
Delta Air Lines says it has several dozen unclaimed iPads in Atlanta, its largest hub, and a bunch more at other hub airports around the world. Southwest Airlines says it has a “great number” of iPads. Virgin America Airlines says it ends up donating one or two every month to a San Francisco charity after declaring them lost causes after 30 days. (The length of time a lost item is kept varies by airline.)
“A bare iPad without any identifying feature is difficult for us,” said Delta spokesman Morgan Durrant.
After landing, travelers often grab their phones. But their thin tablets and electronic readers, typically stuffed in seat-back pockets, aren’t necessarily top of mind when they rush off planes. The devices can be hard to spot if covered up by discarded papers, magazines or trash. And airlines say they see more and more kids on airplanes using iPads to watch movies and play games — and apparently leaving them behind, too.
Source: WSJ
