US Travel Surges With 2 Million People Passing Through Airports, The Most Since March 2020

The U.S. Transportation Security Administration on Saturday said that it screened 2.03 million travelers at U.S. airport checkpoints on Friday.

For the first time since March 2020, the number of security screenings surpassed 2 million in a single day, AP reports. 

According to TSA, the 2.03 million figure was 1.5 million more travelers than the same day in 2020, and the crowds were only 74% of the volume compared to the same day in 2019.

The lowest screening volume during the pandemic was on April 13, 2020, when just 87,534 individuals were screened at airport security checkpoints.

At that time CEO of Boeing Co BA had predicted that at least one major U.S. airline would go bankrupt due to the pandemic-related downfall in the travel industry. 

In April 2021, United Airlines Holdings Inc UAL said that it added more than 480 daily flights to its U.S. schedule in June to meet summer travel demand.

Similarly, American Airlines Group Inc AAL said in April it expects to fly more than 90% of its domestic seat capacity compared with summer 2019 and 80% of its international seat capacity compared with 2019, and it will operate more than 150 new routes this summer, Reuters reported. 

More and more airlines are now seeing a surge in flight bookings with accelerated vaccine distribution and relaxed travel restrictions. 

With a rebound in the sector, airlines are recalling employees from voluntary leave and planning to hire later this year.

The TSA is advising passengers to arrive at the airport with sufficient time to accommodate increased screening time as traveler volumes increase. 

(Photo: United Airlines.)