What items are you most likely to lose when flying?

New research has found more than 170 iPhones have been lost at London Heathrow over the past year, as the airport’s luggage struggles are causing flight cancellations. A study by financial comparison site Forbes Advisor has revealed that iPhones are the most frequently lost item by Heathrow travellers. Equivalent to an iPhone being lost every two days, 179 of the Apple smartphones were handed in at the airport’s lost property office between July 2021 and May 2022. The study, which analysed more than 5,000 items lost over the 11-month period, found that other Apple products are similarly misplaced, with 164 pairs of AirPods, 24 MacBooks, and a further 138 iPads mislaid at Heathrow. However, the most commonly lost tablet is Amazon’s Kindle, 146 of which were listed as missing. Jackets are the second most commonly mislaid item at Heathrow, as 176 have been misplaced since July last year. A total of 171 lost wallets put the item in third place in the Heathrow loss rankings. While in fourth, 167 rings have slipped off fingers and been handed into lost property. Many travellers have also failed to keep an eye out for their spectacles, with 165 pairs of missing reading glasses and 106 pairs of sunglasses going missing. Additionally, a total of 125 bank cards have been lost, as well as 84 passports. When looking at broader categories of lost items, the most frequently lost were defined as “travel effects” of which 542 were mislaid in total. This includes items such as rucksacks, suitcases, and handbags. In total 519 items of clothing were lost, while 493 security or identity documents were handed into the lost and found. Commenting on the study, a spokesperson for Forbes Advisor said: “The stress of travelling means that it can be easy to misplace items, even those as essential as a smartphone. This summer is shaping up to be even more stressful than usual for travellers given the chaos we are seeing in airports across the country. It’s worth checking the terms and conditions of your travel insurance for whether you are covered for loss, whether there is an excess to pay, and if there are particular exclusions. A new iPhone can easily cost £700 ($848.58), while a good annual multi-trip policy can cost as little as £20 ($24.24) for one person, so it’s well worth being protected.”