What happens to items surrendered at TSA?

As peak travel season ramps up, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officers statewide are preparing for a surge in carry-on bag inspections — and the growing pile of prohibited items travelers leave behind. But what actually happens to those items after they’re surrendered at the airport?

In Hawai‘i, they’re boxed, shipped and sold.

The state’s Surplus Property Office, part of the State Procurement Office under the Department of Accounting and General Services, receives thousands of items each month from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) and quarterly from neighbor island airports. Staff sort the goods, assess their value and list them for weekly public auction.

They estimate to have about 50,000 different items. Knives are the most commonly surrendered item, as well as the most-purchased auction item. But that’s definitely not all they have.

“We have kitchen items, sporting equipment, water globes, power tools, hand tools and construction equipment,” said procurement and supply specialist Kietsuda “Bee” Kelsey. One of the less-common items she’s seen was a four-foot-metal spoon.

Unfortunately, they do receive calls from distraught travelers looking for expensive or sentimental items.

“I feel bad when I see items with a person’s name on it, like an anniversary present,” said office assistant Kwanchanok Fai Goya. “People ask if they can come to our office and buy it back, but it just doesn’t work that way. We cannot just give it away, per TSA regulations.”

The items are called voluntarily abandoned property (VAP) and become government property. Federal rules govern how to manage the property.

The office is self-funded and money it raises from the auction can total as much as $10,000 a month.

More about the auction is available at https://spo.hawaii.gov/surplus-property-office/surplus-property-office-public-auctions/.

Visit TSA’s What Can I Bring? Complete List to ease your travel experience at the airport and avoid having to surrender precious belongings.