The TSA is rolling in loose change

tsa airport security

(Reuters/Patrick Fallon)
A TSA checkpoint.

The US Transportation Safety Administration collected more than $760,000 in unclaimed cash last year.

According to Christopher Mele of the New York Times, most of the money collected by the TSA is in the form of spare change left behind by travelers going through security checkpoints.

That figure is up from $638,000 in 2014.

New York area airports accounted for a healthy chunk of the left-behind change, Mele reports.

JFK International led the way with nearly $44,000 in abandoned cash while LaGuardia accounted for $23,000. Travelers passing through Newark Liberty International abandoned nearly $13,000 last year.

The unclaimed money collected by the TSA will be used on security operations.

Recently, several of America's busiest airports have complained about prolonged wait times at TSA checkpoints caused by staffing shortages. Airports including Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International and JFK International have threatened to bring in private security personnel to help alleviate the long lines.

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