TSA screened fewer than 100,000 people at airports across the U.S. twice this week

The Transportation Security Administration screened fewer than 100,000 people at airports around the U.S. on both Tuesday and Wednesday, per agency data.

The state of play: The 94,931 people screened on Wednesday is down from 2,229,276 on a comparable weekday a year ago. The last time the nation averaged fewer than 100,000 air passengers was in 1954, notes the AP.

• The steep drop was fueled by plummeting demand for air travel amid the coronavirus crisis — exacerbated by travel restrictions to both Europe and China.
• Major airlines have also sharply cut their domestic schedules — in some cases by 90% from key cities.

Of note: The count is slightly inflated since it includes airline crew members and some airport employees.

The bottom line: While the airline industry received billions in funds from the government's coronavirus stimulus package, its share prices have been cut in half since the global pandemic started — and there's no telling when revenue and passenger cuts might recover.