Travel is certainly back, at least domestically. The TSA has been publishing checkpoint travel numbers since the start of the pandemic, which has been an interesting thing to watch to see how travel is evolving. Yesterday set a pretty noteworthy record.
On Friday, June 11, 2021, the Transportation Security Administration screened 2,028,961 passengers. For some context on the significance of that:
- This is the first time since March 2020 that the TSA screened more than two million passengers in one day; in October 2020 the TSA screened more than one million passengers in one day for the first time since the start of the pandemic
- On this day in 2020 the TSA screened 519,304 passengers, so this represents a ~290% increase compared to last year
- On this day in 2019 the TSA screened 2,727,860 passengers, so this represents a ~26% decrease compared to two years ago
Obviously there are still major limitations on international travel, given that many countries still have border restrictions in place. However, there’s no denying that domestically flights are just about as busy as they used to be. If you pass through a hub like Charlotte or Dallas during a peak period you’ll feel like you’re in “the before times,” minus people wearing masks.
I’m curious when we see the 2.5 million passenger milestone passed, and also when we see the first day where passenger numbers exceed 2019 levels.
Bottom line
The TSA screened more than two million passengers yesterday for the first time since March 2020. This comes as we’re seeing a huge boom in summer travel, due to a combination of widespread vaccinations, travel restrictions largely being lifted, and school holidays starting in many places.
Let’s see when the next major passenger screening milestone is reached.
Are you surprised that we’re already back to two million daily air travelers in the USA?
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