For the first time since March, more than 1 million people were traveling on airplanes Sunday, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said.
TSA said in a Monday news release that it screened more than 1 million travelers Sunday, which is the highest number of passengers screened at checkpoints since March 17. More than 6.1 million people also went through checkpoints during the week from Monday Oct. 12 to Sunday Oct. 18, TSA said.
“That weekly volume also represents the highest weekly volume for TSA since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” TSA said in the news release.
Travel significantly dropped during the coronavirus pandemic. Air travel hit a record low not seen since the early 1960s and 9/11 in April, McClatchy News reported. Fewer than 100,000 people flew several times during April, according to TSA data.
“First time it’s dipped lower than 100,000 during the pandemic,” TSA Public Affairs spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said in April. “Yes, it’s a record low. Exactly one year ago, 2,091,056 people went through security checkpoints.”
Passenger numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels, but 1 million single-day passenger volume “is a noteworthy development,” TSA said…
