Travelers Left A Record $867,800 In Change At TSA Checkpoints Last Year Image courtesy of Eric Spiegel
Sure, forgetting a few pennies, nickels, dimes, and quarters might not seem like a lot to leave behind when dashing through airport security, but it adds up. To that end, the Transportation Security Administration says it once again collected a record number of change last year.
The Washington Post reports that the TSA collected more than $867,812.39 in change from forgetful passengers last year, besting its previous record of $765,759 collected in 2015.
The new haul bring the TSA’s total coin collection tab to more than $5.1 million since 2008, when $383,000 was collected.
The law allows for the TSA to collect and keep the unclaimed money lost at checkpoints, most of it in the form of loose change left behind in bins from travelers who hastily empty their pockets.
The money, if it remains unclaimed, goes to the TSA for security operations use.
As for the largest contributors to the 2016 collection pot, the Post reports that would-be travelers at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport, where passengers left behind $70,615.
Los Angeles International passengers left behind $44,811, and Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport brought in $42,305.
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