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.”

A video on social media has sparked debate about whether travelers should stack used airport security bins — or leave the housekeeping chore to airport staff. (iStock)

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.

Many people online sided with passengers who stack the bins, though some people said they’d been yelled at or explicitly told not to do so by airport staff. (iStock)

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.

Travelers who choose to stack bins should use hand sanitizer and wash their hands when possible, one travel expert advised.  (Bloomberg; Getty Images)

“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.

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Ashley DiMella of Fox News Digital contributed reporting.

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Archaeologists recently discovered the remnants of an ancient Egyptian “pleasure boat” near the ruins of Cleopatra VII’s lost palace in Alexandria’s royal harbor.

The discovery was announced by the European Institute for Underwater Archaeology (IEASM) earlier this month. The ruins were found in the great Portus Magnus of Alexandria, which is believed to hold the remnants of Cleopatra’s palace complex.

Directed by French archaeologist Franck Goddio, the excavation team uncovered an ancient vessel called a thalamegos.

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Thalamegoi were luxurious barges used for a variety of activities in Ancient Egypt, including feasting, religious ceremonies and leisure cruises.

The ship measures 115 feet long and 23 feet wide, with 92 feet of its structure preserved, the IEASM said.

Archaeologists uncovered the remains of a lavish Egyptian pleasure barge near Cleopatra VII’s lost palace. (Christoph Gerigk/Franck Goddio, Hilti Foundation; Shutterstock)

“Its construction type was to obtain a maximum breadth for the ship to accommodate a central pavilion,” the organization noted.

“The particularity of the ship is the flat-bottomed hull with a hard chine at the bow and a rounded turn at the stern.”

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Archaeologists also found graffiti written in Greek, dating back to the first half of the first century A.D. — though what the graffiti says is a mystery. 

The graffiti is still under study, the IEASM told Fox News Digital, but it still “reinforce[s] the hypothesis that the ship was built in Alexandria.”

The luxury boat had a wide hull design to accommodate a central pavilion for passengers. (Christoph Gerigk/Franck Goddio, Hilti Foundation)

The boat “would have had a luxuriously decorated cabin and seems to have been propelled only by oars,” the IEASM said.

In the press release, Goddio suggested the ship may have sunk during the destruction of the Temple of Isis in 50 A.D.

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Cleopatra, respected in Egypt but vilified in Roman accounts, promoted the cult of Isis during her reign.

“We might also suggest a ritual use for this barge,” said Goddio. “It could have belonged to the sanctuary and [have been] part of the naval ceremony, [when the] procession celebrating Isis encountered a richly decorated vessel, the Navigium.”

The newly discovered thalamegos vessel was used for rituals, leisure and feasting in ancient Alexandria. (Christoph Gerigk/Franck Goddio, Hilti Foundation)

“This vessel was performing a yearly ritual voyage of the goddess from the Portus Magnus of Alexandria to the sanctuary of Osiris at Canopus alongside the Canopic Channel.”

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Officials stressed that research into the wreck is “still at an early stage.”

Even so, it offers a “fascinating journey into life, religion, luxury and pleasure on the waterways of early Roman Egypt.”

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The discovery follows another Cleopatra-related find that was uncovered in 2025.

The discovery was made at a site believed to contain ruins of Cleopatra’s palace. (Franck Goddio, Hilti Foundation)

Egyptian archaeologists recently uncovered a hidden harbor at the Temple of Taposiris Magna, another temple connected to the ancient queen.

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The Temple of Taposiris Magna, dedicated to the Egyptian god Osiris, is roughly 30 miles west of Alexandria.

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Archaeologists stumbled across multiple military graves during highway construction in Central Europe — shedding light on forgotten battles dating back hundreds of years.

The discovery was announced earlier this month by the Archaeological Center Olomouc (ACO), a research institution in the Czech Republic.

The mass graves were found along a 2.3-mile-long stretch of the D11 highway between the northeastern Czech cities of Jaroměř and Trutnov. 

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They were uncovered after metal detecting surveys revealed ammunition at the site in September, the ACO said in a press release.

The oldest grave dates back to the 1745 Battle of Žďár during the Second Silesian War, part of the War of the Austrian Succession. 

Archaeologists identified graves connected to the 1745 Battle of Žďár and the 1866 Battle of Nový Rokytník. (Archeologické centrum Olomouc)

The three newer ones are linked to the 1866 Battle of Nový Rokytník, as part of the Austro-Prussian War.

“Several individuals died from gunshot wounds to the head,” the ACO added. “The skeletal remains and artifacts were transported to laboratories in Olomouc for further analysis.”

Pictures from the site show a variety of centuries-old finds, including the remains of a uniform and what appears to be a fine-tooth comb.

“We found exceptionally well-preserved textiles and military items in the grave.”

In total, archaeologists excavated 12 skeletons from the 18th-century grave, though they have not determined if the soldiers were Austrian or Prussian.

Dozens of Austrian and Prussian soldiers were identified in the Battle of Nový Rokytník-related graves, though officials said that the skeletal material “was in very poor condition.”

One Austrian mass grave held 23 skeletons, while two separate Prussian graves had 10 skeletons.

“We found exceptionally well-preserved textiles and military items in the grave, such as parts of coats, equipment components, and personal belongings of the fallen soldiers [in that grave],” archaeologist Bartoš Dvořáková said.

Archaeologists said one of the mass graves can be linked to the Second Silesian War (depicted at left). (Universal History Archive/Universal Images Group via Getty Images; Archeologické centrum Olomouc)

“A particularly interesting find is a silver pocket watch with a dog motif and a gold franc minted in 1854.”

The archaeological center said the discoveries “represent an exceptional archaeological assemblage that enriches our understanding of both military conflicts.”

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It went on, “This 18th-century mass grave has never been documented elsewhere and is considered a European rarity.”

Speaking to Fox News Digital, ACO archaeologist Michaela Bartoš Dvořáková said the Second Silesian War grave is the first of its kind ever to be excavated in Central Europe.

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The artifacts are so important because they show the “individuality” of the soldiers, Dvořáková said.

For example, a silver pocket watch in an Austro-Prussian grave intrigued experts, as well as pictures of saints in the Battle of Žďár grave.

The Archaeological Center Olomouc called the discovery an exceptional assemblage that enriches historical understanding. (Archeologické centrum Olomouc)

“Other interesting items like rings and other personal items [included a] coffee grinder and army items like textile parts of uniforms,” Dvořáková added.

The archaeologist noted they were surprised by the “good condition” of the materials at the site, including the textiles, leather, matches and metal objects.

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“Unfortunately, the bones were in bad condition… [It] was important that we had an anthropologist on the site,” said Dvořáková.

The expert added that the historical analysis is just beginning, and more “nice results” will result from work with historians, anthropologists and environmentalists.

Textile fragments from military uniforms were transported to laboratories for further analysis, officials said. (Archeologické centrum Olomouc)

“We made on-site, precise documentation of these important finds,” Dvořáková concluded. “Now, we can work well with this data and, in the future, present results to the public.”

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Once the analysis is finished, the artifacts will be sent to the Museum of Eastern Bohemia in Hradec Králové, Czech Republic.

The soldiers’ remains will be reburied “in accordance with applicable legislation,” the ACO said.

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