3 million airline passengers screened for the first time on Sunday

More than 3 million travelers were screened at airports across the country on Sunday, marking the highest number ever recorded in one day, the Transportation Security Authority (TSA) announced.

TSA agents screened 3,013,413 people Sunday in a post-4th of July travel blitz, surpassing the historical record on June 23, when around 2.99 million people were tested, the agency said Monday.

“This was an extraordinary achievement: TSA thoroughly, unerringly, and efficiently screened 35 passengers every second, along with all of their luggage and carry-ons, while demonstrating unwavering professionalism and respect for travelers over the weekend of intensely busy holiday season,” Department of Homeland Security Alejandro Mayorkas said in a statement.

The heavy journey was widely expected around the Fourth of July holiday, and eight of the 10 busiest days in TSA history have been this year as travel surpasses pre-pandemic levels, the Associated Press reported.

The record is in line with AAA’s travel forecast, which projected a record number of Americans traveling for the holiday. AAA predicted that 70.9 million people would travel 50 miles or more the week of July 4th. The company has not yet released the final numbers for the week.

As travel increases in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, Americans continue to face inflated travel costs, even though airline ticket and hotel prices have decreased significantly from the previous year. Hotel rooms were 1.2% cheaper in May than they were a year ago, the AP reported, citing government inflation data.

As more Americans board planes, complaints are also rising. The Department of Transport said last Friday which received almost 97,000 complaints in 2023, compared to around 86,000 the previous year. This was the highest number since 2020, when complaints surged after airlines were slow to refund customers when the pandemic halted air travel.

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