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Southwest Airlines Employee Tracks Down Owner Of Lost Letters Written By Her Late Mother 80 Years Ago

DALLAS (CBSDFW.COM) - A woman who had lost a satchel full of irreplaceable letters written by her mother in the 1940s, got them returned to her by a determined Southwest Airlines employee, the airline said in a couple of tweets on Monday, Dec. 27.

One employee found the satchel under a seat at and brought it to the Baggage Services office at Chicago Midway International Airport to be put with other lost and found items.

After no one initially claimed them, another employee, Sarah decided to keep the letters in a safe in the office while she tried to find out who they belonged to.

Lost letters
Lost letters (credit: Southwest Airlines)

Sarah noticed a return address on one of the envelopes dated from August of 2021 with the name Rachel Degolia.

She excitedly searched our system for Rachel's name, but it came up blank.

Undeterred, Sarah Googled the name and eventually found a phone number to call.

As soon as Sarah said "My name is Sarah Haffner from Southwest Airlines" Rachel excitedly cut her off and said "You have the letters?!"

It turned out, Rachel's brother, Carl was the one who traveled with the letters, which is why Rachel's name wasn't in the Southwest Airlines system.

"Rachel & her family were overjoyed to be reunited with them," Southwest said on Twitter.

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