Herald Publications - El Segundo, Hawthorne, Lawndale & Inglewood Community Newspapers Since 1911 - (310) 322-1830 - Vol. 2, No. 1 - January 2, 2020
Inside
This Issue
Calendar of Events.............3
Certified & Licensed
Professionals.......................7
Classifieds............................5
Entertainment......................2
Food.......................................4
Hawthorne............................3
Lawndale..............................4
Inglewood.............................5
Legals................................ 6-7
Pets........................................8
Weekend
Forecast
No Worries: LAX Passengers Can
See What They’ve Been Missing
By Rob McCarthy
The people who reunite passengers and
their property at Los Angeles International
Airport have a soft spot for teddy bears that
miss their flights. LAX rolled out a new
system on Dec. 13 that makes it easier to
reunite plush buddies with their kids. Starting
on National Lost and Found Day, the
airport began posting online images of the
5,000 to 7,000 personal items that get left
behind every month. That’s enough cuddly
bears, luggage, coats and electronics to fill
a huge warehouse.
Running LAX’s lost and found is a huge
job, so the people responsible looked at the
reunification process and decided there was
room for improvement. That responsibility
falls on the airport’s police force, which now
photographs the new arrivals into lost and
found department. The eclectic inventory
includes big and small bears, a chainsaw
and surfboards.
The new system doesn’t just give property
away to anyone, however. It asks for some proof,
especially for expensive electronic devices, like
a password that authorities can use to verify
ownership. A little technology is going a long
way at the airport, where 230 items per day
are left at TSA checkpoints, at restaurants,
restrooms or passenger-waiting areas.
The browsing feature streamlines the process
of filing a claim for a beloved stuffed
animal or a computer, according to Barbara
Yamamoto, who is Director of Guest Experience
and Innovation, Los Angeles World
Airports. There’s a large Mickey Mouse on
the warehouse shelves. Nearby are backpacks,
duffle bags and a small fleet of strollers.
The new claims system at FlyLAX.com
lets anyone search through found items from
the airport. Owners may file a claim immediately,
however, airport officials request as
much information as possible about where
an item was misplaced, the date, time and
a description. It helps to be able to provide
unique characteristics to the property officers.
Once claims processors verify the claim
and confirm a match, they will notify the
owners who can pick up their property at
LAX or arrange to have it shipped to them.
The most common items that wind up in
the LAX Lost and Found are laptops and
tablets, belts, wallets and clothing. Someone
left a big-screen television, which is at the
warehouse. Another person left one shoe.
A large teddy bear is patiently waiting, too.
Airport police will be on the lookout for
eyeglasses, keys and identification cards that
go missing. Watches and jewelry, shoes,
clothing items and bicycles also make the
list. It takes between three and four days for
items to post to the LAX Lost and Found
site. It also includes links to the airlines and
rental car agencies, too. The Lost and Found
Department collects and processes items
found anywhere on airport property, with a
few exceptions.
LAX isn’t responsible for anything left on
an airplane, at the U.S. Customs and Border
Protection, or at rental car companies. Capt.
Michael Scolaro who runs the Lost and Found
office says that airport police make every
effort to reunite owners with their property.
Those efforts will be enhanced greatly by
the addition of the online LAX Lost and
Found, he predicted.
Computer access to the recovered property
and claims-filing paperwork streamlines the
process for guests and the airport police
personnel. Recovered items are kept for at
least 90 days before being sent to the City of
Los Angeles’ auction site, or donated to the
Salvation Army or Goodwill. LAX maintains
one of the largest and busiest airport Lost
and Found departments in the country. Staff
recover as many as 230 items per day from
the airport’s nine terminals.
Anyone who’s lost something at LAX can
save time by going online to search for it and
file a claim. Then, visit the Lost and Found
office at 5600 W. Century Blvd. Monday
through Friday between 8 a.m. and 3 p.m.
The station’s number is (424) 646-5678.
The lost and found system is a bit tricky
to navigate, so go to lawa.v2.crowdfind.com/
public/#/lax/new-claim and use the pull-down
menu to streamline the process. Identify
what was lost at the airport, and the web site
displays the items matching the description.
The FlyLAX web site recommends the
following steps to take:
• Contact your airline first about lost
suitcases or other items.
• Call U.S. Customs for lost passports at
(310) 665-4560.
• You submit a general claim if you cannot
find your item on the website. •
Minnie Mouse didn’t make it home for Christmas.
Lost or abandoned baby strollers are stacked up.
Friday
Partly
Cloudy
68˚/52˚
Saturday
Sunny
67˚/51˚
Sunday
Sunny
66˚/51˚
Lawndale Tribune
AND lAwNDAle News
Hawthorne Press Tribune
Featuring the Weekly Newspapers of Hawthorne, Inglewood and Lawndale