TSA hiring 1K more officers before July 4 amid surge in travel

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) is hiring 1,000 more officers before July 4 amid a surge in travel, which had declined since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic.

Acting TSA Administrator Darby LaJoye announced the hiring spree during a Tuesday press conference, Reuters reported.

“We have already seen a sharp rise at the nation’s airports and will continue to experience steady increases throughout the summer,” LaJoye said.

Southwest Airlines is seeing an increase in bookings that approach levels prior to the start of the pandemic.

TSA saw 1.86 million passengers in the U.S. fly in one day on Sunday, the most since the pandemic began in March 2020.

The increase in travel has caused the TSA to hire 3,000 more officers since the beginning of the year.

Traveling and vacations are increasing as millions in the U.S. become fully vaccinated and states have lifted many of their coronavirus restrictions.

International travel is still restricted, however, with Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas saying the government is looking at when it can change that.

The government is “following the facts, the data, the science in making the decision as to when business, international travel actually can resume … This is something we are evaluating each and every day,” Mayorkas said.

Other countries such as Spain and Greece are set to open up for vaccinated travelers this summer with the European Union telling other countries to do the same.