Reunited and it feels so good…

The Lost and Found at George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) takes more than 2,000 calls each month from passengers who lost or misplaced something in the airport.

From entire suitcases to cash and stuffed animals, the staff at Houston’s “big” airport has seen almost everything pass through the Lost and Found center at IAH which handles almost 300 lost items each month.

Houston Airports Assistant Customer Service Manager Ella Ghica took over management of the Lost and Found at IAH two years ago and has seen the return rate increase from 37 percent to over 50 percent. “The staff takes an active role to return items when we can identify the owner, and we will even stalk your social media accounts to find you,” she added. “We once found a wallet with no identification, but it did contain credit cards with a name, we messaged the person on Facebook. We were then able to unite the passenger who had then traveled to Mumbai with his items. Ghica says they have even returned the ashes of a passenger’s grandmother! “We know the travel experience can be hectic and passengers often leave important items behind, we are here to try to unite them with their belongings in a timely and efficient manner,” Ghica said.

Just recently, a mother and daughter spent an extended time at the airport due to storms at their final destination. A few days later they realized something of great importance was missing…the mother’s wedding ring which was given to her 67 years prior from her now deceased husband. The daughter spoke with Judith Felan who remembered that a wedding ring had indeed been turned in. The daughter sent pictures of the wedding ring on her mother’s hand, and Felan quickly notified her that it was the same ring! After filling out paperwork, the rings were shipped to their rightful owner.

The daughter had this to say about the experience:

“My mother is thrilled to have those rings back. They were irreplaceable. I wanted you to know that your system works, and we are very satisfied. And to think I almost didn’t call lost and found - thought it was a lost cause!”

For more information on the IAH Lost and Found, visit IAH Lost and Found.