Talk about leaving money on the table — or airport security bin.
The Transportation Security Agency raked in more than $926,000 last year from pocket change and other money inadvertently left behind in airport security bins last year, according to a report on unclaimed money published by the agency Friday.
The TSA collected the most leftover money at John F. Kennedy International Airport — more than $98,000.
Dulles International Airport, where agents collected more than $26,000, is one of the top 10 airports when it comes to leftover money.
Passengers left behind $16,414.70 in security bins at BWI Marshall Airport last year, and $13,207.46 at Reagan National.
What happens to all that dough?
TSA said it is used to fund critical aviation security programs. Last year, the agency set aside $2.1 million in unclaimed money from 2019 and previous years on training and development, and more than $32,000 to print bookmarks to publicize the TSA Precheck program.
Before being deposited in agency coffers, the agency said it tries to reunite passengers with their lost items.
If you accidentally leave items behind at the security checkpoints but return right away, items can be easily returned. If you don’t realize you left something behind until after boarding your flight, you can contact a TSA lost-and-found office at any airport to help track down the lost item.
Top 10 airports for turning loose change into big bucks:
- John F. Kennedy International Airport — $98,110
- San Francisco International Airport — $52,668.70
- Miami International Airport — $47,694.03
- McCarran International Airport — $44,401.76
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport — $40,218.19
- Orlando International Airport $ 37,760.89
- Newark International Airport — $29,121.84
- George Bush Intercontinental Airport -$27,173.45
- Dulles International Airport — $ 26,968.95
- LaGuardia Airport — $23,536.12
