Watch: 4-Year-Old Texas Boy Loses Teddy At Airport, What Staff Did Next Goes Viral

A four-year-old boy from Texas has been reunited with his favourite teddy bear after it was accidentally left behind at an airport while his family was travelling for a holiday.

Patrick Webb, who lives in Fort Worth, misplaced his stuffed toy, Bobby, at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport as the family departed for the Virgin Islands, according to NBC 5. The loss was discovered just as they were boarding their flight, leaving them with little time to search for it.

The family later filed a lost-and-found request after take-off. Soon after, American Airlines staff located the toy and turned the incident into a memorable experience for the child. Patrick's father, Joe Webb, said the family began receiving photo updates showing what Bobby had been "doing" at the airport.

"It had all these amazing pictures of what Bobby had been doing. And we were just so thankful that someone was taking care of him," Webb said. During the family's vacation, airline employees documented the teddy bear's stay at the airport through a series of behind-the-scenes photos.

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The airline also shared a video of Bobby's adventures on Instagram, showing the toy "driving the tug", "helping with the bags", posing as a "new pilot in town", and assisting flight attendants during beverage service. The airline captioned the post, "Anyone else crying or just us??? Thank you, Bobby, for helping us out around the airport. We will miss you, but we know you are in good hands." 

When the family returned home, airline staff met them at the gate and reunited Patrick with his toy. Bobby was also given a souvenir passport documenting his week-long "adventure" at the airport, according to NBC 5.

"Just so thankful; I didn't think someone would throw him away. But to have y'all treat him as lovingly as you did, which is just amazing," Patrick's mother, Hollis Webb, said.

The video went viral on social media, with users praising the gesture. One wrote, "To the employees that did this, you truly went the extra mile and showed amazing compassion. We need more people like you all," while another commented, "Those giggles are the best ever." "Such a cute idea... creating long-lasting memories," read another comment.