Travelers Left More Than $5,000 Behind in Pittsburgh Airport Security Bins Last Year

Travelers passing through Pittsburgh International left behind more than $5,000 at security checkpoints in one year, part of more than $900,000 that travelers nationwide forgot before their flights during that time.

The Transportation Security Administration’s report on cash left behind at security checkpoints runs from fiscal year Oct. 1, 2018, to Sept. 30. Across 75 U.S. hub airports, travelers lost $926,030.44, including just under $18,900 in foreign money.

One of the main issues, according to TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein, is that travelers coming through the checkpoint have to empty their pockets of their wallets and any loose change and put them in a bin, which then goes through the security scanner.

In Pittsburgh, all that money left behind added up to $5,347.34. That’s far from the most left behind, however, according to the TSA report.

Travelers at JFK in New York City lost a collective $98,110. At San Francisco International, the loose change and bills added up to $52,668.70.

Rounding out the top five were Miami International at $47,694.03, McCarran International in Las Vegas at $44,401.76, and Dallas/Fort Worth at $40,218.19.

The country’s busiest airport, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International, saw $13,315.46 in lost money.

Farbstein recommends that travelers put their wallets and loose change and cash in their carry-on bag to avoid leaving it behind in the security checkpoint bin.

Someone who goes through security and then realizes they left something behind can go back and get it from the checkpoint. But if travelers don’t realize their mistake until after they board the plane, they can contact the TSA lost and found office at the airport in question.

Megan Guza is a Tribune-Review staff writer. You can contact Megan at 412-380-8519, [email protected] or via Twitter .

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