Passenger's iPhone racks up the miles trapped in a plane seat

AppleInsiderAppleInsider
Posted:
in iPhone edited May 2022
An iPhone took an unexpectedly long journey after it was lost on a flight, with the smartphone reportedly making multiple international trips before being returned to its owner.




The iPhone, iPad, and other personal devices have become indispensable entertainment, making them ideal travel companions for long flights. However, a thread on a forum tells the tale of an iPhone going on a far longer journey than its owner.

The thread on the Australian Frequent Flyer forum starts from May 6, where a user identified as "Rugby" asks if there was a way to contact Qantas' lounge in Sydney, in a bid to track down their partner's iPhone after a journey, reports One Mile at a Time. It was then discovered via the Find My network that the iPhone wasn't in a lounge, but was still on the plane.

Despite repeated attempts to contact Qantas about the device, it seemed like the passenger wouldn't be getting any official assistance. During this time, the still-aboard iPhone followed along with the plane's travels.

It was in transit from Sydney to Auckland and back, then went intercontinental to Honolulu before reaching Sydney again, followed by another trip to Auckland and then back to Sydney. The owner was able to see the progress in the Find My network throughout its travels.

After the plane had completed its third international trip, and with much assistance from other forum members, the owner received a call from a Qantas employee who said the iPhone was being handed over to international baggage services.

The owner was reunited with their iPhone the following week after they returned to Sydney from Auckland.

With the amount of time spent in the air, it is reckoned that the iPhone may have theoretically achieved a "silver" level of rewards with the airline in its own right.

Read on AppleInsider

Comments

  • Reply 1 of 11
    killroykillroy Posts: 276member
    Should've had a sticker on the phone for each country it went to.
    JaiOh81swat671watto_cobra
  • Reply 2 of 11
    mainyehcmainyehc Posts: 133member
    killroy said:
    Should've had a sticker on the phone for each country it went to.
    On top of a vintage suitcase-styled case. :P
    JaiOh81swat671killroywatto_cobra
  • Reply 3 of 11
    flydogflydog Posts: 1,124member
    Hopefully they’ll turn this fascinating story into a movie. 
    JaiOh81watto_cobra
  • Reply 4 of 11
    DAalsethDAalseth Posts: 2,783member
    Not to be a downer, but it suggests that Quantas could do a better job cleaning and inspecting the planes between flights.
    edited May 2022 RonnyDaddychadbagwilliamhswat671killroywatto_cobra
  • Reply 5 of 11
    hammeroftruthhammeroftruth Posts: 1,312member
    flydog said:
    Hopefully they’ll turn this fascinating story into a movie. 
    iPhone on a plane?
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 6 of 11
    chadbagchadbag Posts: 2,000member
    DAalseth said:
    Not to be a downer, but it suggests that Quantas could do a better job cleaning and inspecting the planes between flights.
    That is what I was thinking.  

    I flew Delta to Japan in 2000 to have a booth at the Macworld Tokyo trade show and I had a laptop power adapter for the in flight power.   I accidentally left it on the plane.  The Japanese staff were very efficient at finding it during the cleaning and turn  around process and when I called a few hours later, after getting to my hotel, it was already in their lost and found.   
    swat671watto_cobra
  • Reply 7 of 11
    flyingdpflyingdp Posts: 45member
    Malcom, “3 international trips”? I count 6. 
    By way of refresher. Auckland is in New Zealand - a separate country to Australia and thus an international destination.
    crowleyDAalsethwatto_cobra
  • Reply 8 of 11
    HedwareHedware Posts: 87member
    Another American who doesn’t know his geography. Australia and New Zealand are separate countries and so flights between the two countries are international flights and not transit flights. 
    crowleykillroywatto_cobra
  • Reply 9 of 11
    dewmedewme Posts: 5,375member
    Cool. The phone is probably eligible for a first class upgrade. Of course its owner is still stuck in Economy.
    watto_cobra
  • Reply 10 of 11
    appleuseryeahappleuseryeah Posts: 50member
    chadbag said:
    DAalseth said:
    Not to be a downer, but it suggests that Quantas could do a better job cleaning and inspecting the planes between flights.
    That is what I was thinking.  

    I flew Delta to Japan in 2000 to have a booth at the Macworld Tokyo trade show and I had a laptop power adapter for the in flight power.   I accidentally left it on the plane.  The Japanese staff were very efficient at finding it during the cleaning and turn  around process and when I called a few hours later, after getting to my hotel, it was already in their lost and found.   
    ___

    It's disgusting Qantas don't do a better job of cleaning their planes. Qantas are lucky this phone wasn't stuck in a place it could snap in half, catch fire due to the battery being damaged, and cause this plane to be at risk. 

    Do better Qantas, your CEO is only paid tens of millions of dollars. 😡🤬
    killroy
  • Reply 11 of 11
    KCJeffKCJeff Posts: 1member
    Hedware said:
    Another American who doesn’t know his geography. Australia and New Zealand are separate countries and so flights between the two countries are international flights and not transit flights. 
    Another bloke who thinks that the author is American. 
    watto_cobra
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