Officers screened 35 passengers per second as travel hit a new record on Sunday, July 7.
More than three million people passed through security at U.S. airports on Sunday, the first time that many passengers have been screened in a single day as travel surges, according to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA).
The disc, which was widely predicted The number of passengers screened surpassed the 2.99 million recorded on June 23, a number expected to occur at some point during the July 4 weekend. Eight of the 10 busiest days in TSA history have occurred this year, with the number of travelers exceeding levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic.
Created after the September 11, 2001 attacks in the United States, the TSA replaced a group of private security companies hired by airlines. The agency is under the supervision of the Department of Homeland Security, which said its agents were screening 35 passengers per second on Sunday.
As Americans continue to battle inflation, travel costs, including airfare and hotel prices, have fallen significantly from last year. Hotel rooms were 1.2% cheaper in May than last year, according to recent government inflation data. Those costs have been falling since the beginning of the year.
While most U.S. airlines lost money in the first quarter — traditionally the weakest time of year for travel — they all expected a summer with full planes.
American Airlines and Southwest Airlines said they expect strong second-quarter profits. They joined Delta Air Lines and United Airlines in providing upbeat outlooks for the April-June period, which includes the start of the carriers’ peak season.
Delta Airlines reported second-quarter results Thursday, with analysts expecting revenue of $15.5 billion, nearly $1 billion more than a year ago. Next week, United and American Airlines will report quarterly results, with Wall Street predicting both airlines will report revenue up from last year.
Increasingly crowded planes since the pandemic shut down travel four years ago have created one downside for airlines: complaints.
The U.S. Department of Transportation said last week it received nearly 97,000 complaints in 2023, up from about 86,000 the year before. The department said the number of complaints was so high that it took until July to sort through the files and compile the numbers.
It is the highest number of complaints against airlines since 2020, when they were slow to refund customers after the pandemic shut down air travel.
