Loose change helps pay for tighter security
Finders are keepers at Logan International Airport.
When hurried travelers leave loose change at security checkpoints, they probably won't see it again - but they may reap the benefits.
The money is deposited into the giant piggy bank of the Transportation Security Administration, and used to help pay for screeners, equipment, and other security measures at US airports.
The TSA has been allowed to pocket the change since 2004 when it lobbied Congress to change the law so the money could be used within the organization instead of going to a general fund in the federal treasury. Since then, the nickels and dimes have been adding up: Between Sept. 30, 2004, and Oct. 1, 2007, the TSA accumulated more than $1 million from 450 US commercial airports - a tiny fraction of its $18 billion budget. Logan, the nation's 17th-busiest airport, brought in $5,994. In fiscal 2004, Logan brought in $4,486.09.
Passengers lose the coins going through the chaotic waltz of security screening. Caught in the awkward dance of unloading, removing, and shuffling, passengers sometimes miss a step and forget to pick up their loose change after clearing the metal detectors.
"Most travelers at the security checkpoint are just rushed," said TSA spokeswoman Ann Davis.
Jay Hamel agrees. Several years ago, he left his treasured watch at the security checkpoint. He returned to the gate and retrieved his watch and some loose change he didn't even realized he'd left behind. Now, the Foxborough resident places all his valuables, including his pocket change, in a plastic bag.
Michael Joyce, a TSA screener at Logan, said loose change is left behind with larger items 90 to 95 percent of the time. Most passengers recover the coins when they are picking up a cellphone or belt buckle they left behind.
TSA screeners place unclaimed items in the lost and found. The agency donates items valued at less than $500 to New Hampshire's state office of surplus property. Higher-value items are stored securely, and after a reasonable amount of time, the TSA said it ships the items to its Virginia headquarters.
Meanwhile, abandoned coins are deposited in a lockbox. At the end of the shift, a TSA officer counts and documents all the loose change found that day. The money is kept in a safe for three months or until the pot reaches $300. Then it is deposited into an operating fund.
Every penny counts. Los Angeles International Airport was the biggest contributor to the fund between Sept. 30, 2004, and Oct. 1, 2007, raking in $89,375, according to TSA reports, while Chattanooga Metropolitan Airport in Tennessee collected just $1.20.
Davis said the TSA never contemplated donating the money to charity because she said the distribution process would be too complicated, and perhaps messy.
"How would TSA determine what charity or charities to donate to?" she said. "And how many taxpayers would object?"
Angel Jennings can be reached at ajennings@globe.com. 