When going through airport security, it's quite common to leave belongings in plastic bins, especially if you're rushing to catch a flight. While forgetting a cell phone or laptop may be a cause for concern, fretting over loose change seems pointless. But all of those coins do add up.
Those plastic bins at security checkpoints might as well be considered tip jars, as a new report from the Transportation Security Administration shows that $960,105.49 was collected between October '17-September '18, per USA Today. It marks a $90,265.93 increase over the previous year.
$72,392.74 was found at John F. Kennedy International Airport, making it the site where the most money was left behind (which is strange, considering it wasn't in the top five busiest airports last year). Los Angeles International Airport came in at a close second, with pocket change totaling $$71,748.83
TSA will be investing the money in various projects, as it now has the legal right to do so. Previously, it has funneled the unclaimed funds into the PreCheck program. It's possible it can be used in future initiatives such as the new security scanners that will not require flyers to take laptops out of baggage.
2018 was a record-breaking year for TSA — in addition to scraping up all the loose change, over 4,000 guns were also secured at airports.
