TSA

Did you mean to tip the TSA?

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At airports, it’s not unusual to hear an announcement asking a traveler to return to the security checkpoint to retrieve a left-behind item.

On Sunday, for example, while waiting for an early morning flight, we heard repeated announcements asking the person who left their wedding band behind at the checkpoint to come and get it.

But we’ve never heard an announcement asking the passenger who left behind 72 cents in the bottom of a checkpoint tray to come back to retrieve that cash.

What happens to all coins and cash left behind?

Turns out, the TSA (not the agents on duty) collects and gets to keep all the cash and coins left in the bins at the security checkpoints. And it can spend the money any way it chooses “to provide civil aviation security.”

How much money are we talking about?

Quite a bit.

In Fiscal Year 2022, travelers left behind cash and coins totaling $835,850.71 at the security checkpoints.

That’s up quite a bit from FY 2021, during which time TSA collected $653,687.64 in unclaimed money.

But not as much as during FY 2019, when $926,030.44 was collected.

According to a report that the Department of Homeland Security submitted to Congress in May 2023, the FY 2022 funds, combined with unclaimed money collected in prior years totaled $2,219,065.74.

Out of that total, the Department of Home Security reports, TSA obligated $995,032.52 in FY 2022 for wireless and telecommunication equipment to support checkpoint operations for field personnel, of which just $1,023.25 was expended during the year.

Where did travelers leave TSA the most tips?

The hub airports where travelers left the largest “tips” for TSA include:

John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK): $59,980.00

Harry Reid International Airport (LAS): $43,228. 80

Chicago O’Hare Airport (ORD): $39,873.68

San Francisco International Airport (SFO): $38,729.92

and Los Angeles International Airport (LOS): $35,019.45

By contrast, only $109.45 in unclaimed funds were left behind at Dallas Love Field (DAL).

Travel Tidbits from here and there

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Macaroni and cheese is a classic comfort food and a dish many people turn to when they are stressed.

So where better to open a restaurant with a full menu of mac and cheese dishes than in an airport?

San José Mineta International Airport (SJC) is now home to the first airport mac and cheese restaurant: San José Mac + Cheese Kitchen.

Located in Terminal B, across from Gate 19, the restaurant is serving up a Signature Mac along with a wide variety of customizable mac and cheese dishes with cheddar cheese sauce, 5-cheese white sauce, grilled chicken, smoked bacon, and BBQ pulled pork.

The menu also includes Grilled Mac + Cheese Sandwiches, Breakfast Mac + Cheese Burritos, and a full bar.

Very comforting!

More airport comfort

Speaking of comfort, we spotted some comforting touches at South Carolina’s Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP) Sunday morning as we made our way to a very early flight.

First, we spotted these very comfy chairs right by the baggage claim carousels.

Then, once through security, we made our way down a hallway filled with useful – and tempting – vending machines.

We’ve seen the Fuel Rod machine that dispenses handy fully-charged chargers in quite a few airports. But the machine that’s ” a carwash for glasses and jewelry,” and the one that dispenses tins filled with licorice aren’t as common. Yet.

And how’s this for service?

We saw a gate agent sprint off towards the security checkpoint and wondered what was up. In just a few minutes she came running back with a young man in tow who would have missed his flight had she not rushed over and hustled him to the front of the security checkpoint line.

TSA’s Cutest Canine + Airport Open Spaces

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Dina wins TSA’s 2023 Cutest Canine Contest

The votes are in. And Dina, a three-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer (GSP) explosives detection canine at Harry Reid International Airport (LAS), is the winner of the Transportation Security Administration’s (TSA) 2023 Cutest Canine Contest.

The contestants came from a field of 92 dogs nominated by TSA handlers from airports across the country. TSA employees weighed in and narrowed the field to four finalists. The public then voted on social media (X, Instagram and Facebook) for the cutest TSA canine of them all.

You’ll next see Dina on the front cover of TSA’s 2024 canine calendar, which will be released later this year.

Where to find fresh air at an airport

The Stuck at the Airport team is pleased to share some thoughts about the past and present of outdoor observation decks at airports for this Wall Street Journal article (subscription may be required to access).

Once a feature of almost every airport, outdoor spaces – especially free to access open spaces – are hard to find at airport terminals nationwide.

But you can find them. And, we’re happy to report, some new ones are on the horizon.

We love the outdoor decks (one pre-security, one post-security) at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), the patios at Denver International Airport (DEN), the ‘wooftop’ at JetBlue’s Terminal 5 at JFK International Airport (JFK), and the outdoor gardens at Honolulu International Airport (HNL).

And we’re looking forward to the outdoor spaces that will part of the new terminal being built for Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT).

(SFO Airport post-security outdoor deck)

(Denver International Airport outdoor patio)

(Gardens at HNL, Honolulu’s Daniel K. Inouye International Airport)

Do you know of outdoor decks and public spaces at other airports? Share your favorites in the comments section below.

TSA’s Cutest Canine Contest

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Move over airport therapy dogs. For just a moment.

It’s time to give some love to some of the more than 1000 dogs that work for the Transportation Security Administration sniffing out explosives and the components for explosives in airports around the country.

For several years now, TSA has been hosting an annual Cutest Canine Contest, inviting the public to weigh in on their favorites.

Ebbers, an explosive detection canine working at Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP) won the contest last year. And now it’s time to pick the cutest K9 for 2023.

This year’s contest is underway, with four finalists in the running:

Zita, a German Shorthair pointer who, like Ebbers, hails from Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport (MSP);

Dina, a German Shorthaired Pointer who works at Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas (LAS);

Zeta, (not to be confused with MSP’s Zita) a German Shepherd from Tampa International Airport (TPA);

and Joker-Jordan a Belgian Malinois assigned to Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL).

Voting is taking place on TSA’s various social media accounts on Twitter, Instagram, and on Facebook.

Cast your vote(s) by Thursday, Aug. 24th at 1 pm (ET). The top dog will be announced on Monday, August 28th.

Why do people bring guns to the airport?

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TSA shares half-year tally of firearms found at airport checkpoints

Travelers are returning to airports and airplanes in record numbers.

And for some reason, many of those travelers are packing guns in their carry-on bags.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reports that its officers found 3,251 firearms at airport security checkpoints during the first half of 2023, which ended June 30.

The total represents an average of 18 firearms per day, of which more than 92% were loaded.

This is an increase from the first half of 2022 when Transportation Security Officers (TSOs) found 3,053 firearms at security checkpoints. 86% of those firearms were loaded.

In the first five days of July, TSA officers found an additional 90 firearms at airport checkpoints, bringing the total for 2023 through July 5 to 3,341.

In 2022, a record 6,542 firearms were found at airport checkpoints. So it looks like we’re on the path of breaking that record – again – in 2023.

What happens if you are caught with a firearm in a carry-on bag?

If a TSA officer finds a firearm in a carry-on bag, they’ll contact local law enforcement to check the contents of the carry-on bag, safely unload and take possession of the firearm and process the passenger in accordance with local laws on firearms. 

TSA will impose a civil penalty of up to $14,950, cancel the traveler’s TSA PreCheck eligibility for five years, and probably put them on an enhanced screening list.

Depending on local laws regarding firearms, the passenger may also be arrested or cited.