A female passenger on a United Airlines flight, found herself in an unexpected situation when she realized she had left her AirPods behind on the plane. Alisabeth Hayden‘s journey to retrieve her missing listening device led her to trace the item to a contract worker’s home, raising questions about the circumstances surrounding the loss.
Hayden, who hails from Washington state, had just returned from visiting her military husband stationed in Tokyo. As she disembarked the aircraft, she noticed that her denim jacket, containing her expensive AirPods, was missing. She approached a flight attendant to retrieve the jacket but was informed that federal law required her to exit the plane and wait beside it.
Assured that her jacket would be brought to her, Hayden waited. The flight attendant eventually returned her jacket but boarded her next flight to Seattle before Hayden could check it. Upon inspection, she discovered the pockets had been opened and her AirPods were missing.
Undeterred, Hayden utilized the tracking feature on her AirPods to locate them. She traced the device to a restricted area of the airport, labeled “United Cargo,” before watching it move through several terminals and finally to a residential address in San Mateo. This address belonged to a contractor employed by the airport to load food onto aircraft.
Persistent in her pursuit, Hayden marked her AirPods as “lost” on the app, meaning anyone who used them would hear a message identifying them as hers and providing her phone number. Despite her efforts, she encountered numerous obstacles when attempting to communicate with United Airlines.
Frustrated, Hayden emailed United Airlines executives, posted about the incident on their Facebook page, and contacted local law enforcement. The police questioned the contractor, who initially denied having the AirPods but later claimed they had been given to him by an airport cleaner.
Twelve days after her initial discovery, Hayden’s AirPods were returned to her, albeit in less-than-pristine condition. CNN contacted United Airlines regarding the matter, and a week later, Hayden received $271.91 in expenses for a new pair of AirPods, along with an apology and 5,000 miles. United Airlines informed CNN that the matter had been handed over to law enforcement.
In a statement, United said, “United Airlines holds our vendors to the highest standards, and we are working with local authorities in their investigation of this matter.” The case is currently being handled by the San Francisco Airport Police Department, which will submit the case to the San Mateo District Attorney’s office. As of now, no charges have been filed.
Alisabeth Hayden’s extraordinary journey to retrieve her lost AirPods serves as a testament to her determination and persistence in the face of adversity. The questions raised by her experience highlight the importance of airline responsibility and the need for vigilance in addressing potential theft or misconduct.
WATCH the video below for more details:
Sources: Scallywagandvagabond, CNN
PLEASE HELP ME
My name is Aziz Badawi, I’m 27 year old man from Palestine. Our town has recently evacuated due
to bombardments by Israel, now I am staying at a shelter with my 6 year old daughter Nadia. My wife is
dead and I’m the only one left to take care of my daughter as we are not allowed to depart to my parents house
in Nablus, she is sick with a congenital heart defect and I have no way to afford the medicine she needs anymore.
People here at the shelter are much in the same conditions as ourselves…
I’m looking for a kind soul who can help us with a donation, any amount will help even 1$ we will
save money to get her medicine, the doctor at the shelter said if I can’t find a way to get her the
medication she needs her little heart may give out during the coming weeks.
If you wish to help me and my daughter please make any amount donation in bitcoin cryptocurrency
to this bitcoin wallet: bc1qcfh092j2alhswg8jr7fr7ky2sd7qr465zdsrh8
If you cannot donate please forward this message to your friends, thank you to everyone who’s helping me and my daughter.
“Nice work!”