JACKSONVILLE, Fla. – Airline travel has never been this busy in the history of American aviation, according to the Transportation Security Administration which reports an all-time high number of travelers screened Sunday across the nation.
The TSA anticipates it’s only going to be busier as we get closer to the Fourth of July weekend.
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So officials suggest if you’re flying within the next week, pack your patience, and get to the airport early.
According to TSA, the agency screened 3 million travelers on Sunday which broke the record for the number of people screened in a single day. TSA is expecting to screen more than 32 million flyers between Thursday, June 27, and Monday July 8, for the Fourth of July holiday weekend.
TSA expects the peak travel day to be Friday, June 28, and say they are committed to meeting its wait time standards which are 10 minutes and under for TSA Precheck, and a 30-minute and under wait time in standard screening lanes.
The FAA also hosted a virtual event with air traffic professionals and a National Weather Service meteorologist, to discuss how the FAA and the Command Center handle the heat of summer and travel volume. They also discussed what is being done to keep planes moving safely around severe weather.
“If your flying from Atlanta to Los Angeles, aircrafts are not going to want to go through those thunderstorms, and we want them to go through, so we will reroute those aircraft,” FAA official Walter Williams said.
So why are airports busier than ever?
According to travel experts, it’s summer vacation season, the Fourth of July weekend, and they say flyers have more independence than ever before to work virtually anywhere in the country.
Record flyers also indicate the country’s economy is strong, and Americans have the money to travel to other cities and states.