This is a Newspaper story. I would be talking to the Newspaper.
“100k of watches removed from Bag at airport Security”
would make a good article. And put some pressure on Airport to do some investigation.
This has become very common and troubling. I have had this happen a few times where I am ushered into a different queue after my bag is already in the belt. Then I’m sent through the body scanner where I have no eyes on my stuff, and by the time I get back to the scanner, my bag has been sitting there for at least a minute or two.
They have always warned about never letting your bags out of your sight- but at this critical and chaotic bottle-neck, we are forced to separate from our luggage and then scurry to move along.
I thought that after 9/11, most airports would have streamlined their security screening areas within a couple years- but we are now 20 years on and they are more cobbled and chaotic than I have ever seen.
Sorry to hear this and hope that we get a good twist to the story.
Slipping an AirTag into the watch roll, and having the "Left Behind" notification on, would likely be advisable in future. On the Apple Watch, or an iPhone once it comes through the X-Ray, select Find Items and you will get an arrow pointing you where to go (and a distance indication) to retrieve the item.
Are there air tags small enough to be inserted in a small purse or card holder? The problem of course is when you misplace the phone itself!
Matt was late to catch his flight and it was that hellish day at Schiphol airport, with the strikes and all, so the airport was a zoo that very day. At the bag scan/xray line, the security guy unpacked his backpack including the roll, examined all items all one by one sandwich and all, put stuff back in the tray, handed the tray over to Matt. Then Matt threw everything he was handed back in a rush in his backpack, closed it, started running to his gate, and got his flight... and at landing time a red lightbulb when on in his head, he checked the content of the backpack, and you now know what was the outcome.
The watches disappeared on the 24th, the lost&found was filed on the 25th, and during the week after Matt was still hopeful some miracle would happen and kept posting IG pics of these watches even though not wearing them on the posting date.
