Pet hamster, bed frame among ‘strangest things’ left behind at Changi Airport

SINGAPORE — Every month, more than 3,300 abandoned items are discovered at Changi Airport, and as the airport revealed on its website last week (Jan 11), some of the items found are truly weird.

Among them include a full bed frame. Other large household items that have been left behind at Changi Airport include washing machines and wine fridges.

Staff at Changi believe that some travellers may bring items with them to the airport only to find that they are too big to bring onboard their plane.

Once, Changi Airport staff also found a pet hamster abandoned in a public area at one of the airport’s terminals. The hamster, kept in a cage, had been left behind by a forgetful owner. Thankfully, owner and hamster were later reunited within half an hour.

According to the airport, all items handed over to Changi airport Lost and Found Department are kept for 60 days before they are either donated to charity (in the case of non-personal items like bags, clothing, watches) or incinerated (items containing personal information, phones and documents).

“Travellers can rest assured that misplaced items, if found, will be kept safe until they’ve been returned to their rightful owner, so long as they are claimed within 60 days,” the airport said. Changi International airport Lost and Found

This policy came in handy for one passenger who had left behind a 1kg gold bar at Terminal 2. The gold bar, valued at over S$50,000 was reportedly discovered lying on the ground in T2’s transit area. The gold bar was kept safe at Lost and Found overnight until the owner – who had already arrived in Penang in Malaysia and filed a police report – returned to Singapore to claim it. Changi airport Lost property

There are several ways to report or claim a lost item at Changi Airport. Besides filing a report on the Changi Airport website, you can also try to contact the airport at +65 6595 6868 or at [email protected]. Alternatively, you can also visit an information counter at the airport and staff will direct you to Lost and Found.