A bit of an emotional experience

So I recently had a bit of a nightmare of a flight. But fortunately, it did nothing but reinforce my loyalty to VS who helped me out a great deal. Here's the story:

I spent last weekend in Boulder, Colorado. I had a great flight there, and a great time in the city. I was travelling back DEN-JFK-LHR, with the JFK-LHR leg with VS on the daytime VS26. I didn't get any sleep on the overnight from DEN so by the time I arrived in the clubhouse, I was starting to push around 20 hours awake. A shower, a couple of coffees and breakfasts later and I was feeling much better, and looking forward to my PE flight after upgrading from EC for a mere £200.

Boarding was called at around 7:30am. Nothing particularly remarkable about the flight for the first couple of hours. Crew were alright. Wasn't a fan of my bulkhead seat as the IFE arm got in the way of my legs when I tried to put them on the footrest. Will avoid bulkhead seats in future.

Skip forward to around 2 hours into the flight and I looked down at my wrist and noticed that I wasn't wearing my watch. Not to worry I thought, sometimes I put it in my rucksack pocket if I wanted to have it off for a while and forget about it (I swear my memory is getting worse). However, the seatbelt sign was on due to turbulence so I couldn't check.
The uncertainty of the situation started getting worse and panic began to set in. Was it definitely in there? I don't remember putting it there, or in my jacket...
After an agonising hour long wait for the seatbelt sign to be switched off, I checked my rucksack and jacket pockets, but to no avail. Checked around my seat. Nothing. For some context - this was a watch that I was given by my Dad for my 21st birthday (I'm 30, so I've had it for 9 years). It was no Rolex but it had sentimental value, naturally.
I suddenly had a panic moment when I realised that I took it off when I had my shower after arriving at the Clubhouse and the tiredness must have caused me to forget to grab it off the shelf before I left. It was a horrible helpless feeling, it's not like we could turn around given we were already leaving Canada.

What could I do? I walked through the curtain into the crew galley and asked one of the ladies if anything had been handed in to the crew. Nothing. Explained my situation and received some comforting words in return, but explained that they wouldn't be able to call unless it was an emergency. The CC lady serving my side of PE said that she would speak to her manager to try and find a number for the clubhouse so that I could call when I landed.
A few minutes later, another CC lady appeared, explaining that she had spoken to the captain about the situation and he would relay a message to the ground staff at JFK! She took my details and a description of the item and went back.
A long wait later, the news came back - nothing had been found. Oh well. I tried to distract myself with some lunch and a movie.

Towards the end of the flight, the same lady returned and said she had asked the captain to give the JFK staff another prod to see if anything had surfaced. A short while later she returned - still nothing found. Perhaps I had left it somewhere else? I did visit the bathroom after the boarding call came... could I have left it there? Did it slip off on the way to the gate? It's never slipped off before...
Queue a great deal of confusion and dejection on my part.
Shortly before final descent, the original CC lady who I spoke to appeared and said that the crew felt very sorry for me, and would like to offer me a token of sympathy - a bottle of white wine.
It was such a lovely gesture. Perhaps it was because I was Gold or perhaps it was genuine sympathy I can't say, but for the captain to do what he did and for the crew to pay it the attention that they did was immensely humbling and showed great humanity.
I didn't get a chance to thank them before I left but will certainly be writing to VS to express my gratitude for their help.

Upon arriving and (eventually) making it through T3 Border (when on earth are those e-Gates going to be ready?!), I headed straight to the departure desks and managed to find a direct number for the JFK clubhouse. I've called them a few times since Tuesday evening, but alas to no avail. Whether it was taken by some dishonest passenger or staff I don't know, or perhaps it's still there somewhere and will show up some day.

Either way it was not the ending to the trip that I wanted at all, in fact it put a considerable downer on the whole holiday, but the positive I take from it is that the VS staff did everything they could with limited resources on the flight. And that's just a nice thing.

Thanks for reading, and sorry if I waffled. I always go into tons of detail!

Very sorry to hear about the watch. It sounds like VS did their best, which is good to hear. Have you tried contacting the general Lost & Found center at JFK: (718) 244-4225 or [email protected]?

It's unlikely, as normally items gets left with the airlines, but you never know. The other thing I would try and do is contact TSA Lost and Found: (718) 917-3999, just in case.

Thanks Nylon. Yeah, I've emailed that address just in case it happened to go missing around the Gate area instead of the Clubhouse. I've just called them again and still no sign of it, I guess it's been three days now and if it was going to show up it would have!

If you have a photo of the watch, post it on the Virgin FB site, with a little background. You might be lucky, social media is a powerful tool. I hope you are reunited with it one day. Good luck.

So upsetting to read your post. I awake in the night sometimes dreaming I have lost my watch/wedding ring/ etc and have to check they are safe. you are def not overdramatising your situation. The only comfort I can add is that the occasion and sentiment when you were given your watch can never be replaced or overshadowed by subsequent episodes in your life - even if the 'item' is no longer there. Memories are the most everlasting. Impressed by the CC and Cpt on your flight though.

I am so sorry and do hope your watch will turn up. I can empathise completely as my late Mother's ring somehow shot off my finger into the UC cabin when I was flying back to the UK and couldn't be found. Long term members of V-flyer may recall that I take comfort from the fact that my Mother loved her country and loved to travel and so it is apt that part of her has spent many years flying the world on "English Rose " .

Good luck with getting your watch returned.

Sorry to hear of the lost watch.
I had a similar experience at Orlando a few years back.
Mine happened at the security search area where I'd taken it off then not clipped it back on properly.
I was back at the desk in less than a minute but no trace of it.
Back home I'd already bought a replacement and sent an email to Lost and Found for a reference number.
Lo and behold they'd got it and posted it to me.
Definitely worth contacting lost and found.

Dick D

Sorry to hear you lost your watch which clearly has sentimental value that can not be replaced, even if the watch can.

The crew did a great job from the sound of it.

Thanks for your kind words everyone. I've just had an email from VS in response to my thanks, saying that there still has been no sign.

@marshy, that's a good idea - unfortunately I don't have a picture of the watch specifically nor much presence on social media :(