TSA screens most passengers for a single day since COVID-19 pandemic began
NORTH TEXAS (CBSDFW.COM) - The July 4th holiday weekend is setting a record.
The TSA says it happened Friday, July 1, when the agency screened the most passengers at airports across the country since the pandemic began: 2,490,490.
The last time it came close to that number was on the Sunday after Thanksgiving last year, when 2,450,300 travelers were screened at airport checkpoints nationwide.
Single day travel numbers that exceeded July 1 came a month before the pandemic began: February 14, 2020, when TSA screened 2,494,922 passengers.
Three days earlier, February 11, 2020, the agency's statistics show 2,507,588 travelers were screened.
At DFW International Airport and Dallas Love Field on Monday, operations ran smoothly - there were very few delays and even fewer cancellations.
TSA had prepared for a busy summer travel season. One concern has been whether the airlines would have enough employees to handle the expected increase in people flying.
The airlines have said they have hired more people to try to meet the demand this summer.
Travelers CBS 11 spoke with said they were relieved to find their flights were on time.
They came to the airport extra early to prevent headaches and hassles.
Alex Tesfaye said, "So far so good. It's very smooth. We got here 20 minutes ago and we're just moving along."
Zander Johnson told CBS 11 he and his friend arrived at the airport much earlier than necessary.
"I'm concerned about everything," Johnson said. "It's been pretty easy so far. They're taken care of us pretty well."
Travelers said the concern over potential flight delays and COVID-19 restrictions have been stressful.
Tesfaye said, "Travel is not fun anymore. It's a lot of hassle. You have to prepare yourself for a lot of things. You just can't come to the airport and put your bag in and just fly like a few years back."
Michelle Rosado agreed flying isn't fun.
"It's not," Rosado said. "I was really stressed this morning making sure because rules change because the time of your booster vaccination, whether you need a QR code."