Milestone Reached as More Than 2 Million Passengers Fly

For the first time since March of 2020, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened two million passengers in a single day.

The milestone figure had been approached in recent weeks, particularly around the Memorial Day Weekend, but not surpassed until Friday, June 11, as the summer travel season is now fully underway.

“The growing number of travelers demonstrates this country’s resilience and the high level of confidence in Covid-19 countermeasures, to include ready access to vaccines,” said Darby LaJoye, the acting head of the TSA.

The coronavirus pandemic brought travel to a virtual standstill last year, but the industry has slowly been regaining its footing. The 2,028,961 passengers screened at U.S. airports on June 11 was 1.5 million more than on the same date last year.

However, it’s still 26 percent less than the 2,727,860 who flew on June 11, 2019, meaning travel is back but not all the way back.

According to the Washington Post, LaJoye recently issued a memo warning that 131 of the nation’s largest airports will face staffing shortages this month and asked office workers to volunteer to assist with airport checkpoints.