Did you know that all the loose change left behind at Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints actually gets collected and deposited into a special fund that will benefit "critical aviation security programs?" What's more: we're not talking about a few hundred dollars—but nearly a million, at least according to new information released by the TSA itself.
According to the agency, folks left behind $960,105.49 US throughout various checkpoints in 2018. Last year, the TSA collected $926,030.44 US. That is not chump change. Of course, given the restrictions still placed on travel all around the world, the governmental body expects to end up with quite a smaller lump of money by the end of this year.
Lisa Farbstein, a TSA spokesperson, delved deeper into 2019 numbers and actually revealed the top five airports around the country where travelers have left the most money in bins. Here is the breakdown (check out her tweet right here):
1. JFK International in New York: $98,110
2. San Francisco International in California: $52,668.70
3. Miami International in Florida: $47,694.03
4. McCarran International in Nevada: $44,401.76
5. Dallas-Fort Worth International in Texas: $40,218.19
Word to the wise: when emptying your pockets at checkpoints, don't forget to retrieve everything (and we mean everything) from those bins after walking through the body scanners. And if you happen to lose more than a few quarters (your luggage, perhaps?), there's always the surprisingly resourceful lost and found website.
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