Sustainability Infrastructure

TSA reports 1.85M passengers flew over the weekend, most since March 2020

tsa transportation security administration coronavirus pandemic outbreak COVID-19 infection flights air airlines travel record breaking 1.85 million highest volume passenger checked march 2020
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Story at a glance

  • About 1.85 million people went through TSA checkpoints on Sunday, May 16.
  • The 1.85 million figure is a record high for this year.
  • This is still below prepandemic levels, but travelers in airports have been steadily increasing.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) counted more than 1.85 million passengers on May 16.

This is the highest volume of passengers since the onset of the pandemic in the U.S. in March 2020, Reuters reports

Following a challenging year for the airline industry, TSA records indicate that passenger numbers have been steadily growing since 2021, with the volume of daily passengers remaining at or above the 1-million mark since March.

The 1.85 million passengers seen Sunday is a record number for the year so far. 

While this is still far from pre-pandemic 2019 levels — with approximately 2.6 million travelers passing through TSA checkpoints — it is a staggering improvement from May 16, 2020 levels, which recorded just 253,807 passengers flying. 

With more vaccinations being administered in the U.S. and fully vaccinated people eligible to be maskless in select public settings, this trend is likely to continue.


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