Americans traveled by plane in record numbers over Memorial Day weekend: the TSA screened nearly 9.8 million passengers over four days – surpassing pre-pandemic levels of 300,000
- Nearly 9.8 million passengers flew over the four-day weekend
- On Friday alone, 2.74 million people flew – the highest number recorded in a single day since November 2019, official figures show
- Cancellation rates were also much lower than previous years
Record numbers of Americans traveled by air over Memorial Day weekend with nearly 9.8 million people flying over four days, even surpassing pre-pandemic levels.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said the holiday, which usually marks the start of the busy summer air travel season in the United States, saw 300,000 more passengers fly than during the same holiday period in 2019.
On Friday alone, 2.74 million passengers passed through airport security – the highest number recorded in a single day since November 2019.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), airlines and flight-tracking websites reported smooth travel over the Memorial Day period and significant improvements over 2022 performance, including much lower cancellation rates than recent years.
Record numbers of Americans traveled by air over Memorial Day weekend with nearly 9.8 million people flying over four days, even surpassing pre-pandemic levels. Pictured: Passengers wait for rides outside LAX on Saturday
Travelers line up at a security checkpoint at Denver International Airport on Friday as the summer travel season kicked off with Memorial Day weekend
American Airlines said it canceled only 13 regional flights on Sunday, or 0.2% of total scheduled departures, after four straight days without any cancellations.
Marquez Griffin, vice president of airport operations, told My News 13 that the growing crowds were “pushing our capacity to the limit again” as the holiday began.
Thousands of people also took to the roads and tracks for trips throughout the long weekend, with around 42 million people expected to travel at any given time overall.
The majority of these travelers were expected to travel by car.
This comes despite high gasoline prices, with the national average price pegged at $3.53 a gallon – though still well below last year’s level of around $4.60 in May 2022. .
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said the holiday, which usually marks the start of the busy summer air travel season in the United States, saw 300,000 more passengers fly than during the same holiday period in 2019. .
Thousands of people also took to the roads and tracks for trips throughout the long weekend, with around 42 million people expected to travel at any given time overall.
The majority of travelers were expected to travel by car. Pictured: Motorists traveling on Interstates 90-94 head north to Chicago on Friday, May 26
This comes despite high gasoline prices, with the national average price pegged at $3.53 a gallon – though still well below last year’s level of around $4.60 in May 2022. .
Passengers line up for security at Orlando International Airport on Thursday. The AAA automobile club said this summer could be ‘one of the records, especially at airports’, with more than 43 million Americans expected to drive 50 miles or more
