A total of $926,030.44 in unclaimed money was left behind at U.S. airports in the 2019 fiscal year, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
"In most cases, this money consisted of coins passengers remove from their pockets while undergoing security screening," according to a March 2020 report from the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.
$2,973.73 in unclaimed money was collected at the Des Moines International Airport (DSM), the report says.
TSA said all unclaimed money collected is deposited into a special funds account, where it can be easily tracked.
Any foreign currency collected as unclaimed money is converted into US dollars. Almost $19,000 in foreign currency was collected in Fiscal Year 2019.
At the end of FY2019, TSA had a total of $1.5 million in unallocated funds from uncollected money available for use.
Top 5 U.S. hub airports with unclaimed money in Fiscal Year 2019:
- John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) — $98,110.00
- San Francisco International Airport (SFO) — $52,668.70
- Miami International Airport (MIA) — $47,694.03
- McCarran International Airport (LAS) — $44,401.76
- Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) — $40,218.19