Passenger Makes 'Tragic' Realization the Moment They Sit Down on the Plane

A video about a passenger on a plane realizing she'd left one of her earbuds at the gate has gone viral on TikTok. The moment was captured in a video posted by @skydivingmommy, which has garnered over 247,000 views since it was shared on July 4. Read more: Compare the Best Rewards Credit Cards for Travel A message overlaid on the clip says "POV [point of view] sitting on the plane and realized you dropped an AirPod at the gate." According to a later comment from the original poster, the earbud was left behind at Gate C31 at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport before the passenger boarded their American Airlines flight. The clip shows map footage from Apple's Find My app, which enables users to track and locate their various Apple devices, including AirPods. An AirPod icon labeled "L" for the left earbud is shown to be stationary towards the top of the screen. Another one marked "R" for the right earbud is shown further below it, moving away from the left AirPod. Read more: Which Airlines Have the Best (or Worst) Fees? A caption shared with the post simply reads: "Just bought those too."

What To Do if You Lost an Item at the Airport

Approximately 90,000 to 100,000 items are left behind at airport security checkpoints each month, according to the Transportation Security Administration. The TSA advises that those who left an item behind at a security checkpoint should contact the airport's lost and found department. But for any items lost elsewhere in the airport, passengers are advised to contact the airport authority. Read more: See How Much Airline Baggage Fees Will Cost You This Summer Items left behind at security checkpoints are held by the TSA for a minimum of 30 days or until the item is reunited with the original owner. Passengers may return to the airport to pick up their lost item or "approve someone else, in writing, to do so," the TSA says. You can also opt to have the item shipped to you at your own expense as the "TSA is not authorized to spend money to return items to passengers." To protect your personal data after the 30-day holding period, unclaimed electronic devices will have their memory removed and destroyed (such as a laptop hard drive) or be destroyed completely (such as items with non-removable memory). Unclaimed items are either "destroyed, turned over to a state agency for surplus property or sold by TSA as excess property," according to the TSA. The federal body says: "The state may dispose of the items through sales, destruction, donations or charities. The state keeps any money from sales, not TSA. "Money from the sale of all lost and found items goes to the U.S. Department of the Treasury and into a general fund used to pay towards the U.S. national debt."

'Funny/Tragic'

TikTok users were amused by the moment captured in the viral post. Carlito & Nero Furraro said: "You're a genius! This is absolutely hysterical." The original poster replied: "Haha thank you. It was too funny/tragic not to capture and share. I'm glad it has made so many people smile." Natalie said: "This is hilarious and relatable..." and JTBakery wrote: "The way I just teared up." Patrick Allen also noted: "This is one of the saddest videos I've ever seen. Heartbreaking!" Tom B wrote: "The replies get funnier and funnier! Sorry for your loss." The original poster replied: "I know! It was almost worth the experience to laugh so much at the comments." Newsweek has contacted the original poster for comment via TikTok. This video has not been independently verified.

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