Online video going viral sparks heated debate over airport security bin stacking

A viral TikTok video has sparked heated debate about whether airplane travelers should stack used airport security bins themselves — or leave the housekeeping task to airport staff.

In the clip, a traveler is seen gathering several empty security bins after clearing the checkpoint and stacking them into a pile.

The comments reflected widely varying experiences and opinions among travelers.

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Some said stacking the bins is appreciated by airport staff. 

“As an ex-security employee at the airport, we actually love people like you,” one commenter wrote.

Another added, “As ex-TSA, thank you.”

Others said they’ve been told explicitly not to do it. 

One user wrote that his or her home airport in Salt Lake City had a sign asking travelers to leave trays on the belt, rather than stack them.

Another person stopped helping with bins after being reprimanded. The person wrote, “I got yelled at by an agent who I was trying to help.”

“These bins are some of the most germ-laden spots in an airport.”

Some commenters framed the issue as basic etiquette. 

“Biggest pet peeve,” one user wrote, referring to travelers who don’t put the trays away.

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Another added, “Everyone should put their own tray away — it’s not that hard.”

Gary Leff, a Texas-based travel industry expert and author of the blog “View From the Wing,” told Fox News Digital that “it can be polite for passengers to stack their bins after removing their belongings” — but he said it isn’t always necessary.

He said stacking bins can help keep checkpoints uncluttered and move the lines along more efficiently for other travelers.

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Leff added that expectations vary widely, however, depending on the airport.

“At some airports, you’ll be asked to stack bins,” he said. “At others, you’ll be told you don’t need to.”

If travelers do decide to stack bins, Leff advised that they use hand sanitizer afterward and wash their hands when possible.

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“These bins are some of the most germ-laden spots in an airport,” Leff said. “TSA employees get nitrile gloves. Passengers don’t.”

Research published in BMC Infectious Diseases identified plastic security trays as the most frequent source of respiratory viruses at airports.

“Security trays appear to pose the highest potential risk and are used by virtually all embarking passengers,” the study said.

“They have the potential to be especially problematic if a severe pathogen with an indirect transmission mechanism were to pose a threat for international spread.”

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Fox News Digital previously reported on a TikTok trend from the past year in which travelers filmed their carefully arranged items inside TSA bins.

While some users praised the aesthetic, others criticized it as unsanitary — warning it would draw negative reactions from fellow travelers.

Ashley DiMella of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.