33,500 lost items at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga, Ontario

Either travellers at Toronto Pearson Airport in Mississauga have become increasingly forgetful or more people used Canada’s biggest and busiest airport in 2024.

Perhaps both are behind the significant increase in the number of lost-and-found items turned in at Pearson this past year compared to 2023 — though the final traveller numbers for the year have yet to be unveiled.

On Tuesday, Pearson officials revealed they recovered more than 33,500 lost items in the past 12 months, with electronics being the most common. Officials say nearly 14,000 tech gadgets including laptops, phones, tablets and chargers were among the tens of thousands of items turned in to the airport’s lost-and-found department in 2024.

By comparison, some 27,500 items — roughly 6,000 fewer — were lost by travellers at Pearson in 2023.

The good news for many forgetful passengers, airport officials report, is that in 2023 and again this past year, about half of the lost items eventually made their way back to their owners.

Besides electronic goods, a wide array of items was lost this past year somewhere in the airport. Essentially, if you can think of a personal possession that you’d be lost without, such as keys, for example, chances are numerous travellers lost just that item of their own at Pearson in 2024.

“Forgot your laptop while charging it? Left your sunglasses or your carry-on bag behind while trying to get the family through security? You’re not alone,” Pearson officials said in a post to social media on Tuesday.

Further, they noted, the top five most forgotten items for the year were laptops, tablets, headphones/earbuds, carry-on bags and glasses/sunglasses.

Some of the more unique lost items, officials added, included peacock feathers, a guitar, a PlayStation console and a tapestry.

Travellers who lose items at Pearson should visit the lost-and-found office in Terminal 1 or submit a report online. (Photo: Pearson Airport)

Travellers who lose items at Pearson should visit the lost-and-found office in Terminal 1 or submit a report online, officials say.

“If we’re able to find it for you, we’ll keep it for 30 days from the date it is turned in. Most items not claimed after 30 days are donated to charitable organizations or disposed of if they contain personal information,” officials added.

Travellers should also note the airport is only responsible for items left inside the travel hub or its parking lot. To locate an item left on a plane, contact the airline.

Additionally, Pearson does not keep passports, Nexus cards, perishables, neck pillows, or lost items left on airplanes or public transit, officials say.

Leaving items behind unintentionally while travelling through airports can happen to anyone, those in the know at Pearson Airport note.

“You may have been there before – buckled into your seat on the plane, thinking about the journey that awaits you, when you realize you’ve forgotten an item at the airport,” Pearson officials said in an earlier post to social media. “Was it the bag you set down when printing your boarding pass? The phone charger you plugged in? Or was it the laptop you brought to get some last-minute work done? Forgetting items can happen to the best of us when travelling gets hectic.”