Friday Was the Busiest Day in TSA History

Thursday was the 3rd-busiest on record for US air travel
By Newser Editors and Wire Services
Posted May 27, 2024 2:42 PM CDT
Friday Was the Busiest Day in TSA History
Travelers move through Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, Friday, May 24, 2024.   (AP Photo/Mike Stewart)

A record was broken ahead of the Memorial Day weekend for the number of airline travelers screened at US airports, the Transportation Security Administration says. More than 2.9 million travelers were screened at US airports on Friday, surpassing a previous record set last year on the Sunday after Thanksgiving, according to the transportation security agency. "Officers have set a new record for most travelers screened in a single day!" the TSA tweeted. "We recommend arriving early."

  • The third busiest day on record was set on Thursday when just under 2.9 million travelers were screened at US airports, the AP reports. According to the TSA, five of the ten busiest travel days on record happened this month. The only pre-pandemic date in the top ten is the Sunday after Thanksgiving 2019.

  • In Atlanta, the world's busiest airport had its busiest day ever. Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport broke a traffic record on Thursday when 111,000 passengers, airlines crew and airport employees were screened at security checkpoints. The second busiest day followed on Friday when 109,960 people were screened, according to the TSA. With 104.6 million passengers, the Atlanta airport was the busiest in the world last year, according to Airports Council International.
  • US airlines expect to carry a record number of passengers this summer. Their trade group estimates that 271 million travelers will fly between June 1 and August 31, breaking the record of 255 million set last summer.
  • The AAA predicted this will be the busiest start-of-summer weekend in nearly 20 years, with 43.8 million people expected to roam at least 50 miles from home between Thursday and Monday—38 million of them taking vehicles.
(More air travel stories.)

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