Travel Is Coming Back! Highest Number of TSA Screenings Yesterday Since April Low

After a precipitous drop in March, U.S. air passenger traffic hit a low of just 87,543 people on April 14. Travel was down 96% based on previous year numbers. The depth and swiftness of the falloff was unprecedented.

But good news: travel hit the highest levels yesterday since the low point in April.

Over 440,000 People Traveled By Air on Sunday

If you’ve been tracking the TSA numbers, you’ll have noticed that they are on an steady upward trend. Most states were under shelter-in-place orders through the bulk of April, and this was the month where we saw major increases in cases in multiple states, most notably New York.

Since April, though, daily new cases have been on a gradual downward trend. People who haven’t gone anywhere are venturing out again, and many states have lifted the bulk of their restrictions. While airlines have a number of changes, including mandatory facial coverings and no food or beverage service, travelers are taking to the skies once more.

The numbers reflect this: the TSA screened 441,255 passengers yesterday. Sundays are typically one of the peak travel days, and given that Las Vegas was open over the weekend, I fully anticipated this to be the new high. Glad I wasn’t disappointed.

Final Thoughts

My son and I flew yesterday and were among the 441,255 people yesterday. It’s our first father-son getaway in nearly a year, and my first trip with any of the kids since our quick family trip in January. While I don’t expect summer travel to be anything like it was last year, I would not be surprised if we surpass 500,000 daily travelers later this month and maybe 1 million by late July or early August.

Do you plan to travel this summer?