Summary

  • DFW International Airport collected a record $57,000 in unclaimed change during 2023.
  • TSA officers at Dallas Love Field collected over $5,000 in loose change so far this year
  • Unclaimed money is reinvested in airport security and improvements, including COVID protection equipment for staff during the pandemic.

Passengers traveling through one of the nation’s largest airline hubs are leaving loose change behind in increasing amounts. At Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), unclaimed money left behind at TSA checkpoints reached a record $57,000.

Leaving a little loose change

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is responsible for airport security checkpoints and regularly reports on how much money is left behind. At Texas airports such as DFW and Dallas Love Field (DAL), passengers leave behind tens of thousands of dollars every year.

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According to Dallas local ABC affiliate WFAA, the TSA has collected approximately $230 per day in change so far this year. Over the course of the 2023 fiscal year, the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport collected more than $57,000 in spare change left behind at airport security.

Across town at Dallas Love Field, the increase is even more significant. According to Amy Williams, the Federal Security Director at Love Field, TSA officers have collected more than $5,000 in loose change so far:

“The majority of it is nickels and dimes and pennies. As [passengers] are hurrying to get ready to recompose and get to their flights a lot of times the loose change gets left behind.”

Love Field reported just under $4,000 of loose change in the entire previous fiscal year, a massive leap from $109.45 worth of unclaimed change in 2022. According to the most recent Homeland Security Report, DFW recorded $34,807.54 in loose coins over 2022, up from $22,747.25 in 2020.

What happens to the money?

Any unclaimed money is set aside to reinvest in the airport experience. In Dallas, there is a specific procedure to secure loose money, which is kept in a lock box behind the security checkpoint. According to Williams, there are safeguards to ensure agents get it to the right place:

“They place the change in a bowl, and they walk with the bowl above their head so that there’s no confusion.”

The money is then collected in a general fund for redistribution across the agency instead of remaining with the individual airports. As a federal agency, the TSA is required to report to the Department of Homeland Security exactly how much money it receives and where those funds go. According to the TSA, the money is put aside for improvements:

“Unclaimed money is deposited into a special account to be tracked and subsequently disbursed. Ultimately, TSA uses the money to maintain and improve security operations.”

A Man Putting Shoes Into Tray For Airport Security Check

Photo: Monkey Business Images | Shutterstock

Where exactly does that money go? For the 2020 fiscal year, the TSA reported carrying over just over $1.5 million of unclaimed funds from the previous year. It used more than $1,101,000 on COVID-19 pandemic mitigation efforts and other protection measures for travelers and TSA’s frontline workers, including the purchase of masks, gloves, and plexiglass shields.

In the 2022 fiscal year, the TSA confirmed its dedicated $995,032.52 for wireless and telecommunication equipment to support checkpoint operations for field personnel to facilitate increased communication across checkpoints in the nation’s airports, leaving over $1.2 million of unclaimed money resources available for use as of September 30th, 2022.

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