Airport Auction Turns Lost Baggage into Bucks

Have you ever wondered what happens when someone walks off and leaves their bag at airport security? How about all those folks who can't - or won't - pay those pricey new checked baggage fees? Hundreds of people who turned out to Miami International Airport's annual baggage auction found out first hand just how many of those bags existed and how much they are worth.

Every time someone walks off and leaves a bag at security, it is carefully screened by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) to determine if it is one of those infamous "suspicious bags" that occasionally shut down airport terminals and grab national news headlines. If the bag fails to raise the TSA's bushy eyebrows, it is tucked away in the airport's massive Lost and Found office.

Although the overwhelming majority of "lost" luggage is claimed within 24 hours, thousands of bags ultimately go unclaimed every year. Smaller airports around the nation, those that lack the resources to hold their own auctions or have too few unclaimed bags to auction off, ship their unclaimed loot to the airport "lost products" store in Scotsborro, Alabama. This store opens the bags, 60% of which contain nothing more than clothing, and sell both the contents and the bags themselves to the public. Larger airports, though, like Miami International, instead accumulate hundreds of bags and auction them off to the public.

Miami International has hosted this annual auction for eleven (11) years now, and some of the goods have been impressive... and amusing. While the airport's 2007 auction featured the usual travel tagalongs (cameras, watches, cell phones, suitcases, camcorders and portable video games), it also raised a considerable amount of money from left behind laptop computers, iPods and even several iMac desktop computers. The belle of the 2007 ball, though, was-of all things - a washing machine. No details are available on why the washing machine was in the airport in the first place, and MIA did not elaborate on the machine's specifics.

The contents of the suitcases up for auction are kept a complete mystery until the purchase is complete; potential bidders are not allowed to open suitcases prior to bidding on, winning and acquiring the item. This practice keeps suitcase locks intact for bidders who may be able to open the suitcases without damaging them. It also keeps the bidders guessing, with the hidden prize possibilities ranging from a load of dirty clothes to cold, hard cash. In 2002, one lucky bidder walked away with a suitcase containing $10,000 in American cash currency. It is unknown why the cash was being carried in a suitcase and why it was never claimed.

The annual auction at MIA traditionally takes place on the last Saturday of July. Although the 2009 auction has not yet been scheduled, history points to Saturday, July 25, 2009 as the most likely date. The auction typically begins at 9:30am, though doors open at 8:30. For the past several years the auction has taken place at 5600 Northwest 36th Street and bidders have paid an admission fee of about three dollars ($3). Proceeds go directly to the airport for general operational expenses.