TSA: Flyers Left $1 Million At Airport Checkpoints, Most Money Lost At JFK
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) – Accidentally left some pocket change at the airport when you went through a security checkpoint? You're not alone.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) says that flyers have felt a small fortune at New York's major airports over the last year.
The TSA's annual "Unclaimed Money at Airports" report found that nearly $1 million was left behind at TSA screening checkpoints during the 2018 fiscal year.
"TSA makes every effort to reunite passengers with items they have left at checkpoints, but there are instances where loose change or other items go unclaimed," TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said in a statement.
Where was the nation's biggest lost fortune found? John F. Kennedy International Airport.
Flyers in and out of JFK dropped $72,392.74 last year.
Newark Airport finished fifth on the list with $41,026.07 in unclaimed cash being collected. LaGuardia Airport saw another $17,906.63 left for the TSA to pick up.
"TSA recommends that travelers remove items from their pockets and place those items into their carry-on bags so that the items will not be left behind," Farbstein added.
The $960,000 collected by airport security last year is reportedly deposited into "a special account and documented."
So the next time you're at the airport, don't forget to double check your bin before you give your TSA screener an unintended tip.