The winter holiday season is among the busiest times of the year for air travel. This is particularly the case with young families, who take to the skies in their droves to celebrate the festivities with relatives far and wide. This increase in the number of children traveling corresponds to an increase in another type of VIP – their stuffed animals!
But what happens when a stuffed animal goes missing at an airport? Recently, we have seen airlines and airports take to Twitter to help reunite them with their owners.
Virgin Australia
During the late-December lull between Christmas and New Year, Virgin Australia came across this little green dinosaur at Brisbane Airport (BNE). International travel is currently prohibited in Australia. As such, the airline already knew that it couldn’t have come from too far away. Without further ado, the carrier took to Twitter to try and find the dinosaur’s owner.
🚨We’re sure there’s a very saur heart out there who’s missing this little one. Luckily, the Christmas spirit isn’t extinct. If you’ve recently ✈️ into Brisbane & left an important member of your herd behind, let us know! They’re getting some dino-mite ❤️ and care from us 🦖 pic.twitter.com/HWfdRG4r8Y
— Virgin Australia (@VirginAustralia) December 30, 2020
Such attempts often prove futile. However, this one produced the happy ending that Virgin Australia (along with its thousands of followers eagerly awaiting the outcome) hoped for. However, even the most optimistic follower could not have anticipated the speed at which the airline resolved the matter.
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Less than 24 hours after its initial tweet, Virgin Australia was able to delight its followers with the good news they’d all been waiting for. Having found Dino’s family, the airline promptly printed her a boarding pass and got her on the next intra-Queensland flight to her hometown of Townsville. Here, owner Mia was reunited with her beloved Dino, who had enjoyed the journey from the best seat in the house!
For those of you playing along at home, we have a rawrsome update to share. Dino’s family has been found! So we booked her on the very next flight to Townsville (in the best seat on the plane, of course) before being reunited with little Mia. pic.twitter.com/kho1T1befh
— Virgin Australia (@VirginAustralia) December 30, 2020
Southwest Airlines
Over at Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI) in the US state of Maryland, Southwest Airlines faced a similar situation last month. The Dallas-based low-cost carrier, for whom Baltimore is a focus city, came across a teddy bear at one of its gates just before Christmas.
ATTENTION: Do you know this bear? He was left behind at a Southwest gate in the Baltimore airport around December 16. He’s gotten to go on a few adventures since then, but he misses his family, & he knows they miss him too. RT to help us reunite them & brighten their holidays! pic.twitter.com/6qodimXSWD
— Southwest Airlines (@SouthwestAir) December 31, 2020
Unlike the furry trespasser that caused a go-around in Russia last August, this bear posed no threat to the airport’s operations. As such, it was able to be taken around the airport by various members of staff, posing for plenty of photos along the way!
Unfortunately, Southwest is yet to announce that its owner has been found. Fingers crossed that the power of social media will make a reunion possible sooner rather than later, and help its owner start 2021 with a happy surprise.
Atlanta Hartsfield–Jackson Airport
Atlanta Hartsfield–Jackson (ATL) in the US state of Georgia has been the world’s busiest airport by passenger numbers since 1998. Of course, 2020’s data is likely to be rather anomalous, and it remains to be seen how coronavirus has impacted these rankings. Nonetheless, with so many passengers passing through even in these uncertain times, lost stuffed animals are inevitable.
Oh No! Someone was in a rush and left behind this little guy at the airport! @SDPhotography42, a Good Samaritan found him and took him home, hoping to find his owner. Please spread the word, and let’s get Teddy home for #Christmas. #FoundAtAtlAirport pic.twitter.com/AtMDX5JwgT
— Atlanta Airport (@ATLairport) December 21, 2020
This friendly-looking teddy bear unfortunately found itself left behind at ATL in the run up to Christmas. Having been made aware of its plight, the airport reached out on Twitter in an attempt to return the bear to its owner for the festive period. The airport has not yet updated the story with news of a reunion, but here’s to hoping that one can take place soon.
Have you ever misplaced a stuffed animal on your travels? Did you manage to get it back? Let us know your thoughts and experiences in the comments!