TSA sets passenger screening record at start of holiday weekend
Travelers wait in line at a TSA screening checkpoint at Orlando International Airport on the Friday before Memorial Day. Photo: Paul Hennessy/SOPA Images/LightRocket via Getty Images)
The Transportation Security Administration on Friday screened nearly 2 million people across the U.S. as the Memorial Day weekend kicked off, setting a new air travel record since the start of the pandemic.
The big picture: TSA spokesperson Mark Howell told Axios in April that the agency had been preparing for a surge in summer travel since the beginning of the year. The agency said in February it was looking to hire 6,000 new officers by Memorial Day.
- Since international travel is still limited, summer trips are expected to be mostly domestic, Axios' Hope King reports.
- Airport traffic in Orlando has reached 90% of 2019 levels, and hotels are booked solid along the Florida coasts, AP reports.
Flashback: The last time TSA screened 1.9 million people was on March 8, 2020.
- This time in 2019, TSA screened more than 2.5 million travelers.
What to watch: Over 37 million people are expected to travel 50 miles or more this Memorial Day weekend (6 million fewer than in 2019), according to AAA.