May 29, 2021 - Economy

TSA sets passenger screening record at start of holiday weekend

Oriana González

Picture of travelers wearing masks waiting in line at a TSA screening checkpoint — 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.

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TSA sets passenger screening record at start of holiday weekend

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