The Transportation Security Administration announced more than 11.3 million people were screened during the Fourth of July holiday.
The amount of weekend travel between June 30 and July 4 is only 93% of the traffic recorded during the same five-day pre-pandemic holiday period in 2019, according to a July 5 news release.
“This holiday weekend, our highly trained and professional workforce screened and facilitated secure travel for over 11 million people – close to the 2019 passenger volume, before the pandemic," TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in the release. "We expect the summer travel season to remain busy, and we encourage passengers to arrive at the airport in plenty of time to park, check-in, check bags, get through the checkpoint with identification in hand and get to their gates in time for boarding."
The TSA reported it searched approximately 2.49 million passengers July 1, the busiest travel day of the weekend, according to the release. This figure surpasses the post-pandemic record of 2.46 million travelers checked June 26.
Transportation Security Officers have already prevented the entry of approximately 3,000 firearms into airplane passenger cabins this year, despite a steady increase in the number of airline passengers, the release reported. On average, TSA checkpoints have intercepted roughly 17 per day since the beginning of this year. If this trend continues, the number of confiscated weapons would surpass the current record of 5,972 firearms confiscated in 2021.
In addition, the release states travelers may still enroll in TSA PreCheck, an expedited screening process lane. Those who register for TSA PreCheck may leave their electronic devices and 3-1-1 liquids inside their carry-on bags and may travel through security checkpoints without having to remove their shoes, belts or jackets.
