Passengers leave behind thousands of dollars in loose change at Charlotte Airport

As you rush through TSA, you might want to take a second to ensure you’ve gathered all your belongings, especially any loose change you may have had to throw in a bucket.
New numbers in our newsroom show thousands of dollars were left at the TSA line. And in a time where everyone’s asking where’s the money, every cent counts.
TSA said in the 2023 fiscal year, almost $16,000 in loose change was left at the security checkpoints at Charlotte-Douglas and other airports in North Carolina.
So what does TSA do with the change that’s not returned to passengers?
“We make every effort to make sure that we get that money to the passengers who leave it behind, we hold on to it for quite a while," TSA spokesperson Daniel Velez said.
WCNC Charlotte is always asking "where's the money?" If you need help, reach out to WCNC Charlotte by emailing [e-mail].
But once that money is deemed unclaimed Velez said the airports are free to use. 
"Through Congress, we are allowed to use the money to improve our aviation security, our screening, our technology, those types of things," he said.
The $16,000 left behind in the last fiscal year was a more than 200% increase from the previous year.
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