Travelers left behind $869,000 in change at TSA checkpoints in 2017.
According to the Transportation Security Administration, travelers leave a lot of loose change behind at checkpoints in their rush to get to their flights. The unclaimed cash is eventually used to improve airport security operations, CBS reports.
In 2016, passengers left behind more than $867,812.39 in coins and currency in the plastic bowls and bins at security checkpoints. According to CNBC, the amounts left behind have been steadily climbing over the past few years. In 2008, the TSA collected just $484,000 in forgotten change.
The airport that collected the most loose change is the Los Angeles International Airport, where TSA workers found more than $62,000 last year. In 2016, travelers at New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport left behind a whopping $70,615