Not all airlines operate by the very low standards of the US market, because in other countries airlines often have to make a profit and can't go bankrupt and emerge as the largest air carrier in the world. For example, the number 2 airline in Australia was allowed to go bankrupt, without the federal government rescuing them.
Now, as to your cynicism that the employee could not have found that information, different airlines operate different systems for handling lost property. The US airlines are operating their services over a continent sized country, so handling items in such a system is highly complex. NZ is smaller than Oregan.. not quite so hard to have a central "lost property" register. Qantas does not operate services within or beyond New Zealand, all their flights are handled via Air NZ, as part of a joint operating agreement made between Qantas and Air NZ in 2002. They purchase aircraft together, don't compete and handle each others operations in their respective countries. Qantas and Air NZ also have cross ownership stakes. Therefore it is not outwith the bounds of possibility that they have joint computer systems. Even if they don't, as Air NZ handles Qantas in NZ, that their records are joint.
His complaint was about the handling of the question.... he was not blaming anyone else for his lost property. He was re-routed and was not given paperwork to have a record of the re-route.. but then the airline demanded that he have the proof. I can't see anything wrong with that complaint.
I still want the glasses though.