Lost & Found: TPA's wildest airport treasures unveiled in new reality series

The world of an airport's Lost & Found department is filled with thousands of forgotten or left-behind items. From diamond rings and designer shoes worth hundreds or even thousands of dollars to more unusual items like prosthetic body parts or an urn containing the ashes of a loved one, the variety is astonishing. Some items may have little monetary value, but they can be priceless to the families that lost them, such as a child’s blanket or a special stuffed animal. All of these items—and many more—end up in the airport’s Lost & Found office, where the logging process begins, often followed by some detective work to locate the owner.

This fascinating, rarely seen world is the focus of a new Nat Geo reality series called Inside Airport Lost & Found. A production team from National Geographic and Lucky 8 spent nearly a year at airports across America, including Tampa International, documenting the surprising and odd assortment of misplaced and forgotten items, along with the dedicated employees who work every day to reunite those items with their owners.

Employees from TPA’s Lost & Found, Police, Traffic, and Operations teams are featured throughout the 10-episode series, which is now airing on the Nat Geo TV and streaming on both Disney+ and Hulu. In celebration of the series premiere, TPA held a watch party for employees last Friday night, complete with popcorn and refreshments.

“It’s so cool to see how it all turned out. They did such a good job editing all the stories together,” said Dianna Preza, Lost & Found Property Control Coordinator, who is prominently featured throughout the series. “It really helps show the public all the work that happens behind the scenes to get lost items back to their owners.”

The Tampa Bay area's beautiful beaches, golf courses and downtown skylines are also highlighted throughout the series which is also running internationally.

Tampa International Airport’s team is interspersed with Lost & Found departments from other airports across the country, including DEN, MSY, LAX, and ORF.

Check your local cable listings for airtimes, or download the Disney+ or Hulu app to watch online.