Airport traffic rebounds to levels not seen since March, TSA says

For the first time since March, more than 1 million people were traveling on airplanes Sunday, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said.

TSA said in a Monday news release that it screened more than 1 million travelers Sunday, which is the highest number of passengers screened at checkpoints since March 17. More than 6.1 million people also went through checkpoints during the week from Monday Oct. 12 to Sunday Oct. 18, TSA said.

“That weekly volume also represents the highest weekly volume for TSA since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic,” TSA said in the news release.

Travel significantly dropped during the coronavirus pandemic. Air travel hit a record low not seen since the early 1960s and 9/11 in April, McClatchy News reported. Fewer than 100,000 people flew several times during April, according to TSA data.

“First time it’s dipped lower than 100,000 during the pandemic,” TSA Public Affairs spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said in April. “Yes, it’s a record low. Exactly one year ago, 2,091,056 people went through security checkpoints.”

Passenger numbers are still below pre-pandemic levels, but 1 million single-day passenger volume “is a noteworthy development,” TSA said.

The busiest travel day since the pandemic began comes as COVID-19 cases are climbing in most U.S. states, NBC News reported. Experts are warning that a possible “third peak” of coronavirus cases could be coming, according to the news outlet.

Some worry it could be the largest wave of cases yet with 17 states reported more new coronavirus cases in the past week than any week before, Business Insider reported.

This story was originally published October 19, 2020 at 4:26 PM with the headline "Airport traffic rebounds to levels not seen since March, TSA says."