TSA Screens Over 10 Million People During July 4 Weekend

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported its highest number of travelers during the pandemic this July 4th weekend.

During the holiday period from July 1 through July 5, the TSA recorded more than 10.1 million visits through airport checkpoints.

And not only did the holiday weekend set a pandemic record, but travel numbers also rose well above even pre-pandemic levels.

"@TSA screened 2,147,090 people at airport security checkpoints nationwide yesterday, Thursday, July 1," TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein announced on Twitter on Friday. "Ready for this? It surpassed the 2019 checkpoint volume for the same day, which was 2,088,760."

However, the jump in travelers may be due to the fact that this year's holiday fell perfectly on a weekend. In 2019, July 1 fell on a Monday and was one of the lowest travel days of that week.

But the statistics definitely show that travelers are back on flights after more than a year in lockdown.

The lowest number in weeks was recorded on July 4 when only 1.6 million people were counted at TSA checkpoints. And daily TSA numbers have not dipped below 1.6 million people since late May. The biggest travel day was July 2, when 2,196,411 people passed through TSA, also higher than the number recorded on that date in 2019.

Travel numbers have been increasing steadily throughout the year. The previous pandemic travel record was set over Memorial Day Weekend, when more than 7.1 million people were screened over the five-day holiday period. The TSA first reported more than 2 million travelers in one single day on June 11.

The increase in travel comes as airlines and airports are working with staffing shortages. The TSA recommends getting to the airport early to allow time at security checkpoints.

Cailey Rizzo is a contributing writer for Travel + Leisure, currently based in Brooklyn. You can find her on Twitter, Instagram, or at caileyrizzo.com.