How much money do fliers leave behind on airlines? One international carrier took in $75,000 last year, which it donated to charities. That’s an average of $.18 per passenger. If that figure holds true for all 320million people who fly on the hundreds of international airlines, it amounts to $58 million per year.
Much less is found on domestic U.S. flights. A cleaning crew in Chicago reported finding less than $.10 per flight. An executive of one international airline suggested that on international flights passengers disposed of surplus coins from the countries they were departing by leaving the coins in their seats or in the seat pockets in front of them.