Stansted Airport lost property is not one office or one phone line. Lost and found at Stansted Airport is split between several companies, and who looks after your item depends on where you lost it. The terminal has its own lost property service. Things left on a plane, bags that never reached the belt, and belongings dropped on a train or a car park bus all go through other companies. Pick the wrong one and you lose days.
This guide shows who handles what, how to register a missing item and how to claim it when it turns up. It also covers fees, ID, time limits and what to do if you live too far away to collect. We checked the details against Stansted Airport’s own lost property page and the websites of each company named below in November 2026. Where the airport does not publish something, such as a direct phone number, we say so instead of guessing.
Start by working out where you lost it
| Where you lost it | Who handles it | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Inside the terminal | Excess Baggage Company, for the airport | lostproperty.org or the desk in international arrivals |
| On the plane | Your airline | The airline’s contact details, plus lostproperty.org |
| Checked bag that did not arrive, or arrived damaged | Your airline | The airline’s baggage desk, before you leave the reclaim hall |
| Stansted Airport station or a train | Greater Anglia | Greater Anglia’s online lost property form |
| In an airport car park | Excess Baggage Company | lostproperty.org |
| On a car park bus | National Express | National Express lost property page |
Not sure where it went? Register it with the terminal service first, then contact the airline or train company. Reporting in two places does no harm.
Lost property inside the terminal
Excess Baggage Company looks after everything found inside the passenger terminal, on behalf of the airport. Its Airport Services desk is the Stansted Airport lost property office, and it sits in the international arrivals landside concourse. Landside means the public side of the airport, before security. The desk opens every day from 06:00 to 22:00.
If you are still in the building, go straight to the desk. Cannot find it? Ask any member of airport staff to point you the right way. If you have already left, register the item online instead.
Realised at the gate, after security? Tell a member of staff before you do anything else. The desk sits on the public side, so walking back usually means clearing security a second time. Staff can tell you whether going back is worth the risk of missing your flight. If it is not, register the item online from your seat and collect it when you return.
Register your item online
Stansted’s lost property page sends you to lostproperty.org, a site operated by Excess Baggage. Reach it through the link on the airport’s own page so you know you are in the right place.
The team matches your description against what people hand in, so detail decides the result. Include:
- What the item is, plus its brand, colour and size
- Marks that only you would know, such as a sticker, a scratch or a name inside
- The serial number, or for a phone the IMEI number (dial *#06# to see it)
- Where and roughly when you last had it
- Your flight number and date, if you flew
- An email address and phone number, spelt correctly
Keep the reference number you receive. Found items need time to be logged, so if nothing matches on day one, check again over the next few days.
Stansted Airport lost property contact details
The airport’s lost property page gives the desk location, the opening hours and the online form. It does not list a phone number or an email address. Numbers quoted on other websites do not agree with each other, so we have not repeated any of them. These routes are confirmed:
- Online: the form at lostproperty.org, which is the quickest way to start a search
- In person: the Excess Baggage desk in the international arrivals landside concourse, 06:00 to 22:00 daily
- Airport customer relations: the contact form on the Stansted Airport website (choose the “Report lost item” topic), or post to Customer Relations Team, Enterprise House, Stansted Airport, Essex, CM24 1QW. The airport says its teams are working to a 10 working day reply time, so use the online form if you want speed
- Airlines: phone numbers sit on the airport’s airline contacts page
Excess Baggage says on its own website that it cannot reunite you with an item unless you log the details on the enquiry form. A phone call alone does not start the search.
How to claim lost items at Stansted Airport
- Register the item at lostproperty.org with as much detail as you can.
- Wait for the team to contact you. If they find a match, they get in touch using the details you gave.
- Choose whether to collect the item or have it sent to you.
- Show that it belongs to you.
- Pay the fee and take your item.
ID and proof of ownership
Bring photo ID when you collect. Excess Baggage’s terms accept a passport, a photo driving licence or official company ID. The team may also ask for proof the item is yours, such as a receipt or photos of it. They tell you if they need anything extra.
What it costs
You pay a fee to get a found item back, and the amount depends on the type of item. Excess Baggage’s terms list the charges in bands, from about £5 for lower-value items up to £25 for items like phones, laptops and jewellery. Extra storage charges can apply if an item sits for more than a few days. Fees can change, so check the amount on the site before you agree to pay.
Collection, delivery and sending a friend
Collect from the Stansted desk during opening hours. Check the hours again when the team contacts you, in case they differ.
If you cannot get to Stansted, ask for delivery. Excess Baggage arranges a courier at an extra charge, which you pay online in advance. Before anything ships, you email scanned copies of your photo ID and any proof of ownership. The team then confirms the cost.
A friend or relative can collect for you. They need a letter signed by you that gives their full name and address and describes the item clearly. They also bring photo ID for both of you, any proof of ownership and the fee.
Time limits at a glance
| What | How long |
|---|---|
| Items found in the terminal | Held for 60 days, according to Excess Baggage’s terms |
| Found ID, including passports | Passed to the police after three days, according to the same terms |
| Food and other perishable items | Not kept once they are no longer fit to hold |
| Items handed in to Greater Anglia | Usually kept for three months |
| Damaged checked bag | Written complaint to the airline within 7 days of getting the bag |
| Delayed checked bag | Written complaint to the airline within 21 days of getting the bag |
Items left on an aircraft
Stansted Airport does not handle these directly. Its lost property page tells passengers to contact the airline.
Jet2 says its cabin crew sweep the aircraft once passengers have left, and that anything they find goes to lost property at the arrival airport. It adds that it cannot bring back unaccompanied items from overseas. Ryanair and easyJet have both said that items found on board go to the airport lost property office. So the answer depends on where your flight landed. If it landed at Stansted, register the item at lostproperty.org as well as telling the airline. If it landed abroad, you need that airport’s lost property service.
Move fast. Have your flight number, date and seat number ready, and describe the item as you would in any report. Speed matters because the plane turns around quickly and flies on. When the consumer group Which? left test phones on several airlines’ flights in 2024, not every phone came back.
Lost luggage and belongings in your checked bag
A checked bag that does not appear on the belt is an airline problem, not an airport one. The same goes for hold luggage left in the baggage reclaim area. The airline, or the company that handles its baggage at Stansted, deals with it.
Report before you leave
Go to your airline’s baggage desk in the reclaim hall before you walk out. Staff fill in a Property Irregularity Report, often called a PIR. This is a form that records what is missing or damaged. It gives you a reference number to quote when you chase. Take a photo of the form and keep any receipts if you buy essentials such as toiletries while you wait. Have your boarding pass and the baggage tag sticker to hand, because staff use the tag number to trace the bag. Describe the bag clearly too: colour, size, brand and anything that makes it stand out. Give the address where you want it delivered, since airlines usually send found bags to your door.
Know your deadlines
On international flights, the Montreal Convention sets the rules. In practice, you must complain to the airline in writing within 7 days if your bag arrives damaged, counted from the day you get it. For a delayed bag, the limit is 21 days from the day it reaches you. A bag that has not turned up after 21 days is treated as lost. Airlines also set their own claim forms, so read your airline’s instructions too. Our guide to lost, delayed or damaged baggage compensation at UK airports explains how a claim works and when travel insurance may pay more than the airline.
Lost at Stansted Airport station or on the train
Stansted Airport station sits under the terminal, about two minutes’ walk from the arrivals hall, and Stansted Express trains serve it. The airport tells passengers to contact Greater Anglia for anything left at the station or on a train.
Greater Anglia asks you to fill in its online lost property form. It says most items are reunited within 72 hours and that it keeps checking for three months. Collection is free if you pick the item up within 24 hours of it being found. After that, a charge applies, except for lost cash. Greater Anglia destroys bank cards that nobody collects within 24 hours and throws away perishable items and alcohol.
If you lost the item at London Liverpool Street or on a train that finished its journey there, the Excess Baggage Company handles it from an office near platform 10. Stansted Express suggests reporting to both Greater Anglia and Excess Baggage in that case.
Lost in a car park or on a car park bus
Items left in Stansted’s car parks go to Excess Baggage for safekeeping, so register them at lostproperty.org like any terminal item.
Items left on the bus between a car park and the terminal are different. Stansted points passengers to National Express for those, and National Express has a lost property page on its website.
Taxis, coaches and booked transfers
Airport lost property does not cover private vehicles. If you left something in a taxi, on a coach or in a pre-booked car, call the company. Have your booking confirmation or receipt handy. A direct call is usually the fastest route because the driver can check the vehicle.
While you wait
Registering the item is only half the job. A lost phone or wallet holds details that other people could use, so protect yourself the same day.
For a phone, use your device’s find-my-phone feature to see where it is, then lock it or mark it as lost. Change the passwords for your email and banking apps if you cannot lock it. For a wallet or purse, ring your bank or card provider and freeze the cards until you know where they are. A frozen card can be switched back on. A cancelled one cannot.
If you think something was stolen rather than lost, report it to the police on 101 and ask for a crime reference number. Your travel insurer will probably ask for it when you claim.
Lost passport or ID
Passports need two steps. First, tell the airport service if you think you left it in the terminal, because found ID is handed to the police after three days. Then report it lost on GOV.UK so nobody can misuse it. A cancelled passport stays cancelled even if the old one turns up, so check your bags and pockets thoroughly first.
How to avoid losing things at Stansted
A few habits cut the odds a lot.
Security is where phones, watches and belts get left in trays. Our UK airport security rules guide explains what to take out and what to leave in your bag, which means fewer loose items to forget. Before you walk away from any seat, check the floor, the seat pocket and your pockets.
For checked bags, follow Stansted’s own advice. Fit a name tag, put your address inside the bag and tie something bright on the handle, so you spot it quickly and someone else can send it back if they take it by mistake.
Take a photo of your bag and anything valuable before you leave home. A clear picture makes a lost property report far easier to match. Add a contact message to your phone’s lock screen, and consider a tracker tag on your most important bag.
Going back to Stansted to collect your item
The Excess Baggage desk sits in international arrivals, so it is easy to reach if you need to go back for your item or if you are flying in anyway.
National Executive Transfers can take you to Stansted and home again. Our Stansted Airport chauffeur service tracks your flight, so the driver adjusts if you land early or late. When you land, the driver meets you inside arrivals with a name board, and the booking includes 60 minutes of free waiting after landing. You see a fixed fare before you travel. Stansted has one terminal, which keeps pickups simple.
Not sure whether to drive yourself? Our comparison of Stansted parking and chauffeur costs shows real figures for different trip lengths. When you are ready, book your Stansted transfer online. Check the desk hours before you travel, since it closes at 22:00.
Related articles
- Gatwick Airport Lost Property: How to Get Your Item Back
- Lost, Delayed or Damaged Baggage: Your Compensation Rights at UK Airports
- UK Airport Security Rules: What You Can and Can’t Take in Hand Luggage
- Stansted Airport Parking vs Chauffeur: Which Costs Less?
Frequently Asked Questions
Keep your reference number and check again over the next few days. Items need time to be logged after someone hands them in. If you flew, also contact your airline in case the item is still with them.
Stansted Airport’s lost property page links to it and names Excess Baggage as the service provider. Use the link from the airport’s page so you land on the correct site.
No. It opens daily from 06:00 to 22:00. Outside those hours, register your item online and wait for the team to reply.
No. Register it online straight away. The terminal service holds found items for a limited time, so a quick report gives the team the best chance of matching yours.
Your airline. Report it at the baggage desk before leaving the reclaim hall and keep the PIR reference number.
