**Qatar Airways Returns Headphones One World Cup Cycle Later**
OMAAT reader Eric recounted an entertaining tale about how his Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones embarked on a four-year trip from Doha back to him. Here’s his account:
On November 24, 2022, Eric traveled from Dallas-Fort Worth to Doha on Flight QR732 to experience the FIFA World Cup. He left his Sony WH-1000XM4 headphones in the suite upon deplaning. After filing a lost and found report online, he didn’t hear anything until December 12, 2022, when an email from Qatar Airways Found Property Central Office in Doha confirmed the headphones were found.
As Eric was traveling internationally, he inquired if they could send the headphones to Tokyo-Narita or LAX. After exchanging some emails, they explained that they could only send to airports they serviced and that a relative could collect them with an authorization letter. He followed up on January 7, 2023, but there was no response, leading him to ultimately give up and purchase a new pair.
Jump to March 2026, nearly four years later, when war broke out, resulting in Qatar’s airspace closure and grounding flights. Airline staff began addressing the lost and found backlog. On March 23, 2026, Eric received an email from Doha affirming that his headphones were still in storage. Due to the suspension of the DOH-LAX route, they assured him they would dispatch them on the first available flight once services resumed.
In June 2026, amidst the current World Cup, Eric was contacted by the Qatar Airways baggage team at LAX via phone and email. The airspace had reopened, and his headphones had made it across the ocean. A few days later, he retrieved them from the Qatar Airways check-in counter at LAX. The battery had drained after four years, but once charged, they functioned perfectly.
**Should We Be Impressed or Disappointed by This Service?**
There’s a threshold where one might not anticipate an airline returning personal items. To Qatar Airways’ credit, they initially retrieved the headphones, yet communication ceased. It required the airline being grounded and employees having the opportunity to address the lost & found backlog for the items to be returned to their owners. The timing is amusing, occurring one World Cup cycle apart.
**Bottom Line**
A passenger left headphones on a Qatar Airways flight to Doha in 2022 for the World Cup. The airline initially located them, but communication ceased, and the traveler assumed they were gone for good. With the airline grounded due to the Iran war, they focused on the lost & found backlog, returning the item to the traveler during another World Cup. What are your thoughts on this Qatar Airways lost & found saga?