Air Travel Reaches Highest Passenger Screenings in Almost a Year

Travel demand continues to rise, after a sharp drop early in the year. On Friday, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said its agents screened more than 1.3 million passengers at airport security checkpoints across the nation.

TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said in a statement that the 1,357,111 people screened at airport security checkpoints, represented the highest number in almost a year. That figure is 78% of the number of people that traveled on the same day last year, and 54% or the 2019 numbers.

The spike in air travel this month comes as COVID-19 vaccines are on the rise and several states have rolled back on restrictions that were put in place during the pandemic.

The TSA has counted more than 1 million passengers for the last four days. On Thursday is was 1,284,271, Friday 1,357,111, Saturday 1,223,057 and on Sunday 1,344,128 travelers passed through checkpoints nationwide.