Mr Branson property left on the plane system isnt working!

My family and I recently flew to Dubai,on our return flight to Heathrow unfortunately my daughter left her Itouch in the seat pocket on the plan, we did not find this out until we got home we immediately contacted Virgin Customer services gave them seat number and plan details ect, they assured us that the cabins are security checked and as it had only been 1hr 45mins since we landed they would get the plan seat checked, after nearly 5 weeks of emails to lost property and Virgin nothing has been handed in fact nothing has been handed in at all form any Virgin flight in the last 5 weeks, I find this amazing so where is all the customer lost property going I ask my self. I am sure that it is unacceptable that an outside support agency is discrediting you travel company with a questionable system.

[Darren Wheeler]

Firstly, welcome to V-Flyer

Secondly. V-Flyer is independent of Virgin Atlantic and while staff do read and post on here there is no guantaee that SRB even reads here.

As you say, the iTouch was left on the plane and there are checks made, but to be honest, anyone could have pick it up and walked off with it, including fellow passengers, and to say it was staff is grossly unfair to them.

As you say, the iTouch was left on the plane and there are checks made, but to be honest, anyone could have pick it up and walked off with it, including fellow passengers, and to say it was staff is grossly unfair to them.

As Darren says placing blanket blame on any of the staff (whether directly VS employed or contracted via a service provider) is totally unfair.

There are over 300 passengers on an A346 and anyone of them could have seen it and picked it up

There are announcements (usually several) made by the crew before passengers leave the plane about checking the area around your seat for your personal possessions so whilst the loss of your daughters iTouch is annoying she must take all the responsibility for its loss.

Totally agree with Dareen on this one. More likely senario would be that the "staff" are absolutely innocent in this case.

I was on a plane to Orlando once and reached into the seatback pocket to find various personal belongings from a previous passengers. I found a pack of playing cards from the Belligio hotel LV and importantly an i-phone. Obviously the cleaners had either chosen to leave them there or not even noticed. I handed these to the cabin staff and had no reason to think they were not given to "lost property" at some point.

With respect, the blame for your loss lies at home, its not fair to throw out accusations v( I assume you cannot claim on your travel insurance as the i-pod perhaps falls into the category of "not taking due care of items". Sorry for your daughter's loss and it is an expensive learning curve.

Hi All
Thanks you form the welcome, this is truly a resourceful site.
I in no way with to appoint individual blame. To be honest I had little hope of its return after the initial contact with customer services.
I appreciate that numerous people would of had contact with the seat pocket in question, from the cleaner to the next pax in the seat.
It is just the system that is in use, weather I can claim is not the issue really and yes it is a costly lesson but one I hope is learnt!!, this item could be anywhere from a desk draw at Heathrow or a lost property box in Timbuktu... or listed on Gumtree!! I just cannot get the relevant help each one points me to the other extremely maddening to say the least.
As to the 'powers that be' reading this, I have friends that are paid to read about the company that employs them, I know nice job if you can get it!! so we never know who maybe reading this on a rainy Sunday afternoon!!
happy travelling one and all

You also have to consider that not just any of the other passengers, but the cleaners and technicians board the plane shortly after the crew - it's been known for them to keep hold of items too.

My honest bet would be on another passenger, unfortunately things are not as they once were and some often see someone elses loss as their gain.


I once left my blackberry on a flight, it was returned to me within 48 hours.

It is a shame and I do hope your travel insurance cover this for you.

Without pointing any fingers in any direction I sympathize with the OP except in one regard, to assume this site has anything to do with Virgin Atlantic.

Unless I misread, the OP didn't direct a finger at any group of people on the plane or after, but was stating that if they were handed in the system is flawed, if they weren't them someone who had access likely has. A fellow passenger, or any one of the onboard teams.

I too once left something on a the plane and contacted VS only a few hours after disembarking (in this case a lovely and expensive pair of Gucci shoes, thankfully bought in the sale at Barney's in Beverly Hills). They too had completely disappeared, and I'd left them under the ottoman upstairs when VS was all through the upper deck, not obvious really. I have my suspicions about who might now be wearing them (not an individual, one of a group). [EDIT, it was my fault entirely, that is accepted.]

I don't believe there is lost property because I believe any 'found' items don't make it there - a bit sweeping I know, but the OP's is not the first similar experience.

[Darren Wheeler]

I should point out that the OP has since edited their original post and changed they way it read. Rather than pointing their finger at the system, it was squarely pointed at staff.

The last line did read:

"I am sure that it is unacceptable to you that an outside support agency is discrediting you travel company with questionable staff integrity."

I left my Ipod on the plane on our return from Orlando a couple of weeks ago and the first I knew about it was when I was called over the tannoy in the baggage hall.

I was very impressed with this level of service I have to say.

Miopyk 8D

I'm a staff member at GLA. I'm not an a/c cleaner, but I am on a fair amount of a/c every day. Just last week, I found an I-Phone, which turned out to belong to one of the cabin crew. I handed it over to the ground handling company and gave them my name. I'd covered my back - or so I thought.

What happened? The person I gave the phone to pocketed it for themselves, and denied me handing over phone and accused me of stealing it. After being interviewed by the police, my boss and the airline base manager, I was "cleared". I felt absolutely sick and angry that I'd been accused of something I'd never dream about doing, and humiliated that everyone thought I was a thief.

The point I'm trying to make, is to always check that you've got everything before you disembark. Most folk have no idea how bad the proverbial hits the fan when a pax reports something missing.

It's a great shame that your daughter lost her I-Touch - it must be extremely frustrating. But as you've said yourself: lesson learnt!

Good point Darren y) By changing the content of their original thread, the OP doesn't come over so attacking now.

GlasgowBoy. Poor you, that is an absolutely horrible story

That is a terrible story

Equally terrible is the $100 of duty-free Davidoff cigars and cigarettes that I lost last time I flew Virgin to LAX-LHR. I realized I left the bag wedged between my seat and the window right before baggage claim. I ran back to the gate, which was deserted. Found ground staff, told them my plight, was told there was nothing they could do, and to go file a claim. Surprise, surprise, I never heard a word from them.

To date, my only negative experience with VA, but it soured me for a good long time. I understand things get lost and they can't always be found, but numerous follow-ups on my end resulted in nothing. *sigh* It did teach me to be much more vigilant about making sure I have all my belongings before disembarking.

[honey lamb]

Equally terrible is the $100 of duty-free Davidoff cigars and cigarettes that I lost last time I flew Virgin to LAX-LHR. I realized I left the bag wedged between my seat and the window right before baggage claim.

To date, my only negative experience with VA, but it soured me for a good long time. I understand things get lost and they can't always be found, but numerous follow-ups on my end resulted in nothing. *sigh* It did teach me to be much more vigilant about making sure I have all my belongings before disembarking.

While I sympathise with your predicament, they didn't get lost, you were careless and did not bring them with you on disembarkation. There are enough warnings before leaving the flight to be sure you have your goods with you and only you can be held responsible for their loss and the fact that someone else took advantage of your carelessness.

I speak from experience. On a flight to EWR I left behind a bottle of champagne that had been gifted to me on that flight; the last time I remember having my Bose QCs was on a VS flight - they may or may not have been left on it so I can't blame VS and I think I left a (fortunately cheap) pair of binoculars in the LHR Clubhouse. Do I blame Virgin Atlantic? No! I blame my own stupidity and carelessness and take full responsibility.

OK, one can decry the lack of honesty of those who found the said items but the old saying goes "Finders keepers, losers weepers"

Shouldn't we expect more honesty from people getting our hard earned cash? I certainly don't help myself to belongings left in patient rooms. Perhaps I hold myself, and those around me, to higher standards than most.

Either way, I did learn my lesson. I just hope that it was a case of the bag getting misplaced by the crew once it was found, not "sticky fingers".

Either way, I was more PO'd about the lack of response from Virgin reps, than the lost goods. A bag of cancer sticks is easy to replace, but customer loyalty is a bit harder.

Off I go with them in 6 days time. I'll know to keep my duty free goodies where they belong this time

Shouldn't we expect more honesty from people getting our hard earned cash? I certainly don't help myself to belongings left in patient rooms. Perhaps I hold myself, and those around me, to higher standards than most.

Either way, I did learn my lesson. I just hope that it was a case of the bag getting misplaced by the crew once it was found, not "sticky fingers".

Either way, I was more PO'd about the lack of response from Virgin reps, than the lost goods. A bag of cancer sticks is easy to replace, but customer loyalty is a bit harder.

Off I go with them in 6 days time. I'll know to keep my duty free goodies where they belong this time

I agree, and for once disagree with HL, if our expectation is that things will simply disappear (aka get thieved by one or other of the teams having access to the aircraft), it's a bit of a sad state to be in, and not one I expect of a service company.

I had 2 differing experiences as follows:-

1) Wife left her glasses on the plane in the seat pocket (She's blind as a bat so no use to anyone) they were reported but never turned up

2) When our son was young he was playing with an old Audi key, the kind you press a button and the key pops out, he dropped it and it was lost in the seat somewhere in UC (Must have had some contact details on it) VS called us like 3-6 months later to say they had found the key....

I have to say I have little faith that if I forgot to take something off the plane that it would find its way back to me. :#

Shouldn't we expect more honesty from people getting our hard earned cash? I certainly don't help myself to belongings left in patient rooms. Perhaps I hold myself, and those around me, to higher standards than most.

And neither do plane crews help themselves!.

There are dodgy nurses just as there are the odd dodgy member of airline staff. Oh and airline staff and airport contractors go through more rigourous security clearance processes too.

I'd just like to point out that there would have been 300 other people on the flight and it's morel likely that one of them took your bag of DF that YOU left on the plane.

Why do people go straight to it being a member of staff or a contractor that took it.

But I am not sure what VS is expected to do when an item is not found. Send round the boys in blue to the entire passenger and crew manifest?

My partner and I flew back from Washington last year in upper class. On exiting the baggage hall she realised she had left her purse on the aircraft, we went straight to the revivals lounge and reported it. The staff were very helpful but after spending 4 hours filling in forms and waiting for reports on the search of the aircraft the purse was never found. My point is that we were almost the last to leave the upper class portion of the aircraft, and i`m sure the flight crew dont allow economy passengers to stroll through the upper class cabins after the customers have left, so only leaves crew and groundstaff.

[Darren Wheeler]

My partner and I flew back from Washington last year in upper class. On exiting the baggage hall she realised she had left her purse on the aircraft, we went straight to the revivals lounge and reported it. The staff were very helpful but after spending 4 hours filling in forms and waiting for reports on the search of the aircraft the purse was never found. My point is that we were almost the last to leave the upper class portion of the aircraft, and i`m sure the flight crew dont allow economy passengers to stroll through the upper class cabins after the customers have left, so only leaves crew and groundstaff.

And neither do plane crews help themselves!.

You're being rhetorical of course ): .

I shouldn't think this is confined to VS, and after all, Heathrow baggage handlers have a long history too, but there's enough in this thread to suggest to me that there is a problem somewhere ...

Slinky I was trying to point out that there are bad applies in ny profession (I think you meseed up the quote)

The poster was making a sweeping statement about airline staff without reflecting that even Nurses pilfer and have been struck off for stealing from patients.

It is the automatic 'it must be staff doing the stealing' assumption that I find annoying when it can be just as likely that another passenger picked up the OPs ipod and this particular posters Duty Free.

The lesson is - check the area where you were sitting and ensure YOU have all YOUR belonings.

Slinky I was trying to point out that there are bad applies in ny profession (I think you meseed up the quote)

The poster was making a sweeping statement about airline staff without reflecting that even Nurses pilfer and have been struck off for stealing from patients.

It is the automatic 'it must be staff doing the stealing' assumption that I find annoying when it can be just as likely that another passenger picked up the OPs ipod and this particular posters Duty Free.

The lesson is - check the area where you were sitting and ensure YOU have all YOUR belonings.

HERE, HERE ^) ^) ^) ^) ^) ^) ^)

I genuinely do empathise with any pax who is careless enough to leave any of their belongings on an a/c - and I apply that to myself as well if I were to leave anything. But I don't sympathise as it's common sense to check you've got all your belongings before you exit an a/c - as other posters have correctly pointed out.

At GLA (and obviously the vast majority of airports across the world), when an aircraft lands:

1) Inbound pax disembark

2) Caterers will board the a/c at either the front or rear doors (sometimes both).

3) Once pax disembark, engineers are often allowed to pass through the cabin to the flight deck - before the crew have carried out any lost property/general security checks.

4) Cleaners board the a/c, often at the same time as the next set of crew (especially if the a/c is on a quick turn). Many of the cleaners at GLA are honest folk who'll quite happily hand in any items of lost property and fill out the necessary paperwork. However, their are some "bad apples" as tontybear pointed out. And this applies to the caterers, crew and engineers. Not to mention other pax.

Also, if the aircraft is late inbound and is on a quick turn, then an ipod in a seat-pocket may lie undetected until the flight is next cleaned (or indeed the next punter who sits in that seat).

It's a said fact in today's society, I'm afraid, that you can't trust every single person in life. But at the end of the day, the cabin crew do not stand at the front of the a/c, and tell pax over the PA to "please take all personal belongings with you when you disembark the aircraft" for nothing do they?

Wow, I don't recall making any sort of "sweeping statement" about airline staff? I was addressing the post above mine that I read as "tough cookies, you left it, it was up for grabs". I also said that I sincerely hoped it was a case of it being found and misplaces, as opposed to a member of staff taking it. I honestly have no idea what happened to it. We were one of the last pax to disembark (at the rear of the plane), so it very well could have been another passenger, but that isn't the most likely scenario.

Again, to reiterate, I was more disappointed that Virgin never responded to my inquiries. The goods themselves were easy to replace. I just feel that, as with any sort of customer service type issues, even a note to say "I'm so sorry we weren't able to help you with *x*" would have been appropriate. And the system VA has in place is the topic of conversation here, is it not?

I take full responsibility for leaving my bag on the plane. Do I wish someone had turned it in and saved me the cost and effort of replacing the goods? Yes, of course. Did I honestly expect the bag to magically appear? Not really.