Sep 6, 2022 - Economy

Labor Day weekend travel exceeds pre-pandemic levels

Erin Doherty

Travelers move through the Moynihan Train Hall as Labor Day weekend kicks off, one of the busiest travel periods of the year, in New York on September 2, 2022. — Travelers move through the Moynihan Train Hall in New York on Sept. 2. Photo: Yuki Iwamura/AFP via Getty Images

The Transportation Security Administration screened more travelers last weekend than during Labor Day in 2019, making it the first holiday that exceeded travel compared with the same period before the pandemic.

Why it matters: The busy Labor Day weekend caps off a summer of "revenge travel," with Americans hitting the road and booking flights to make up for pandemic-related trip cancellations.

Driving the news: TSA screened 8.76 million travelers from Sept. 2 to Sept. 5, which is 106% of checkpoint volume from the same period in 2019, per a TSA spokesperson.

The TSA screened 8.62 million passengers over Labor Day weekend in 2019.
Labor Day weekend was expected to be a busier travel weekend than it was last year, as Americans were capping off a summer of travel marred by flight cancellations and delays.
AAA travel data showed that domestic travel bookings, including air travel, cars, cruises, hotels and tours, were likely to be up 22% from 2021.
Go deeper... Labor Day travelers face another chaotic holiday weekend

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Labor Day weekend travel exceeds pre-pandemic levels

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