Software Airports Use for Lost and Found

What software do airports use to manage lost and found?

Airports use lost and found software that logs each found item with a photo, matches it to a traveler's report, emails the traveler with updates and records who handled the item. Many airports still run on paper logs, spreadsheets and phone calls. Those hold up until items arrive from several checkpoints, gates and carriers. Purpose-built software replaces scattered notes with one searchable record per item.

Key takeaways

• Look for software that covers five jobs: intake with photos, traveler claims, matching, return shipping and a custody record.
• A spreadsheet can list items, but it can't compare a traveler's report with a shelf of found items.
• Travelers should be able to file a claim from their phone, with no app and no account.
• Staff stay in charge: software suggests, people confirm and release.

Why do airports move off paper logs and spreadsheets?

Items turn up at the TSA checkpoint, at gate B12, at baggage claim, at the rideshare curb and at airline desks. Each hand-off tends to add another notebook or another tab. Then a traveler who is already home calls and asks whether anyone turned in a black laptop bag, and someone walks to the shelf to look.

Paper and spreadsheets break down in predictable places:

• No photos, so staff match by reading descriptions aloud.
• No status a traveler can check, so the same person calls three times.
• No clear record of who released an item when two people claim it.
• No easy way to see what each terminal is holding.

What features should airport lost and found software have?

Start with the work staff do every day, then check that the software handles each part.

• Intake with photos and tags. Staff log the item where it was found, add a photo and attach a tag that can be scanned later.
• A claim link for travelers. A short form on a phone: what was lost, where and when. The traveler gets a claim number.
• Matching. The software compares descriptions, locations and dates against found items and ranks likely matches for staff to review.
• Status updates. The traveler hears by email when a claim is received, an item is found, shipped and delivered.
• Return shipping. Most travelers are gone by the time an item turns up. Shipping home should be part of the same record.
• A custody record. Intake, matching, claim verification and handoff or shipment in one printable report for audits and disputes.
• Access by location. Each terminal or checkpoint team sees its own items, and admins see everything.

Shipping has limits. Phones, laptops, tablets, jewelry and other valuables can usually ship when the carrier allows it. Aerosols, flammables, loose batteries, alcohol, medication, firearms and hazardous items generally can't.

How do the common approaches compare?

	Paper log	Spreadsheet	Lost and found software
Photos of found items	Rarely	Possible, kept separately	Attached to each item
Traveler files a claim online	No, phone or in person	Needs a separate form	Yes, from a phone
Matching reports to items	By memory and reading	By searching text	Ranked suggestions for staff to confirm
Updates to the traveler	Phone calls	Manual emails	Automatic status emails
Return shipping	Handled outside the log	Handled outside the sheet	Part of the claim
Custody record	Handwritten, easy to miss	Edits can overwrite history	Printable report per item
Several terminals	Separate books	Shared file, easy to break	Separate teams under one account

How do you choose software for your airport?

1. Walk one item's path. Follow a phone from the checkpoint bin to the traveler's hands and list every hand-off.
2. Decide who needs access. Terminal teams, checkpoint staff and a manager who sees the whole picture.
3. Test the traveler side. File a claim on your own phone. If it needs an app or an address up front, travelers will skip it.
4. Check how items go home. Find out who pays for shipping, who prints the label and whether staff ever touch card details.
5. Ask for the custody report. Make sure it covers the item's whole life, not only the handoff.
6. Look at setup. Hosted software with nothing to install and little training is easier to roll out across shifts.

How this works in Traista

Airport lost and found is spread across checkpoints, gates and baggage claim, and the traveler is usually somewhere else when the item is found. That is a lot to track by hand.

You don't need to manage all of that by hand. Traista has you covered. All your team needs to do is:

1. Log found item, add a photo, Write Description with AI, and print the QR item tag.
2. Share the branded claim link and QR poster so travelers can report a loss from their phones. They need no app or account.
3. Confirm the "Likely Match" in the claims list, or use Search Inventory.
4. Choose the package size and click Send request.
5. Print the prepaid label from the portal, pack the item and hand it to the carrier. For pickup, record a pickup note, and the traveler's signature if required.

Traista emails the traveler, takes the return-shipping payment through Stripe, buys the label, updates status from carrier tracking and keeps a chain-of-custody record. Staff make every match and release decision. AI only drafts descriptions and suggests matches.

Traista is free for the airport. The only cost is an optional return-shipping fee, which the traveler pays at checkout. Traista helps airports of any size, from regional airports to major hubs, modernize lost and found, moving off paper logs, spreadsheets and phone calls.

Common questions

Is there free software for airport lost and found?

Yes. Traista is free for airports and other organizations, with all features included, no contracts and no credit card. The only cost is the optional return-shipping fee a traveler pays when an item is shipped home.

Do travelers need to download an app?

No. They file a claim from a branded, mobile-ready link and get a claim number to track status online. No address is needed until a match is confirmed.

Can each terminal or checkpoint have its own team?

Yes. Each location has its own team and dashboard under one organization account. Staff see only their assigned locations, and admins see all of them.

How do we handle disputes over who gets an item?

Pull the chain-of-custody report for that item. It covers intake, matching, claim verification and shipment or handoff, and staff can require a signature at pickup.

Custom integrated solutions are available if the ready-to-use product is too simple for your airport; send an RFI or RFQ to proposals@traista.com.

Traista is free lost and found software that gives airport teams one place to log items, match them and send them home, and you can see how it fits on the Traista for airports page.