by London Luton Airport is offering passengers free Teddy Tags to help travelers keep in touch with stuffed animals during a flight.
More than a million passengers are expected to pass through the terminal this month, with December 30 likely to be the busiest day, with Luton experiencing its busiest Christmas period since 2019.
The tags will allow owners to include the teddy’s full name, flight number and contact details so that any toy left behind can be quickly reunited with its owner.
Clare Armstrong, Customer Experience Manager at the airport, said: “We understand that traveling over Christmas can be a trying time for parents and losing a child’s toy can cause real upheaval.
“This year alone we have collected around 200 toys, cuddly toys and soft toys that have been left behind by families and although we have fortunately been able to reunite some of these toys with their owners, it is still a difficult process.
“To make the travel experience as simple and easy as possible for families this Christmas, we’ve launched our Teddy Tag program.”
Luton said Amsterdam, Budapest and Sofia are the most popular places for people looking to get away before the New Year.
The airport is expected to see a 170% increase from 2021 and is expected to handle over 22,000 passengers on Christmas Day alone.
Ms Armstrong said 52% of families who lost a toy would claim the incident had derailed their holiday, with a third (32%) saying their favorite toy was irreplaceable.
“The tag system means it’s now easier to reunite children with their favorite toys, taking the stress out of the process if a teddy is misplaced during travel,” she added.
The program was launched on Monday.
One of the first adopters was Jo Christie, whose daughter Meilia lost and then found her favorite teddy, called Kaydog, on a previous flight.
Ms Christie said: ‘We’ll definitely pick up a Kaydog plush tag next time we travel as she seems to have a habit of getting lost.’
