Laptops are the most lost item at Toronto’s Pearson Airport

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The majority of the more than 27,000 items that were lost by passengers and found at Toronto Pearson Airport in 2023 were left behind at security.

Canada’s busiest airport collected more than 27,500 items this year, ranging from phone chargers to tablets to carry-on luggage.

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The items most commonly left behind, though, are laptops.

In an email to National Post, Greater Toronto Airports Authority spokesperson Sean Davidson said that 5,217 laptops have been collected in 2023, followed by 2,101 tablets, 1,501 cellphones and 1,258 carry-ons.

Davidson added that the airport was able to “reunite passengers with more than half of the items they lost in 2023.”

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Passengers who have lost or forgotten an item can report it to the Lost and Found team at Pearson without any cost. The items are tagged and stored in a facility in Terminal 1 for 30 days. After that, they are either donated or salvaged.

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While there may be fees associated with shipping an item back to its owner, it is free to submit a Lost and Found item report. Passengers should be aware of an active scam where individuals are asked to pay a $40 non-refundable fee for filing a report.

Reports can be made in person at Terminal 1 or online. After filing a report, the airport will search for an item for 30 days and notify passengers of the result.

Items like passports and Nexus cards are not held by the Lost and Found team but returned to the Canada Border Services Agency.

If a lost item is found, the passenger will receive an email with verification instructions. They can then pick up the item from the Lost and Found office, have someone else pick it up for them or arrange for shipping.

The holidays are the busiest time of the year for travel so the final tally for the total number of lost items in 2023 is still in the works.

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