Travelers passing through American airports left nearly a million dollars behind in loose change last year, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reports.
According to a new report from the federal agency, wayfarers left behind a cool $960,105.49 in dollars and cents in the security checkpoint bins across the country in 2018, as per USA Today. $85,000 of the total unclaimed sum was in foreign currency, according to ABC News.
Predictably, the biggest “tips” left for TSA staffers were found at some of the nation’s busiest air hubs. A grand total of $72,392.74 was discovered last year at John F. Kennedy International Airport, followed by $71,748.83 at Los Angeles International Airport and $50,504.49 at Miami International Airport, trailed by Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport ($49,597.23) and Newark Liberty International Airport ($41,026.07.)
“TSA always seeks to make sure that all traveler property, including loose change, finds its way back to the proper owner,” a rep for the agency told the outlet. “However, when loose change does not, it will be directed to critical aviation security programs.” Under the direction of Congress, the TSA has used the “lost” money to fund airport security costs since 2005, benefitting projects such as checkpoint maintenance and the translation of checkpoint signs into different languages.
