TSA reports 8 back-to-back days of screening over 2M travelers amid holiday travel rush
On Thursday, TSA officers screened over 2.3 million people at checkpoints
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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has screened over 2 million travelers daily at airport security checkpoints for eight straight days as many people travel for the winter holidays.
On Thursday, TSA officers screened over 2.3 million people at checkpoints, according to passenger volume data published by the agency. That figure is roughly 7% higher it was on than the same date last year. The day prior, they saw over 2.4 million, the data showed.
For Monday and Tuesday, TSA’s checkpoint travel numbers were about 2.26 million and nearly 2.2 million, respectively.
Volumes since Dec. 15 have all been above 2 million per day.
Peak travel days
Passengers wait in line to check-in for their flights, some facing cancellations, at the Delta terminal at Laguardia Airport, Friday Dec. 23, 2022, in New York. (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews / AP Images)
TIPS FOR HOLIDAY AIR TRAVEL FROM TSA
The TSA said earlier this week that for the holiday travel season, it expected Thursday, Dec. 22, and Friday, Dec. 30, to be the busiest days. In mid-December, AAA had projected that between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2, some 112.7 million people would travel at least 50 miles from their homes, including almost 7.2 million by plane.
The TSA predicted that holiday air travel volumes would be "close to pre-pandemic levels."
TSA travel tips
Travelers wheel the bags past the line for TSA screening in Terminal B at Logan International Airport, Mon., Nov. 21, 2022, in Boston. Travel experts say the ability of many people to work remotely is letting them take off early for Thanksgiving or r (AP Photo/Charles Krupa / AP Newsroom)
The transportation security agency recently released holiday travel tips. The advice includes not bringing firearms and other prohibited items to checkpoints, keeping gifts unwrapped, so they may be inspected, and carrying acceptable ID.
"Fully wrapped gifts may need to be opened if deemed necessary by a TSA officer. Instead, consider placing your unwrapped gifts in your checked bag," TSA said.
The agency added: "At many airport checkpoints, the Transportation Security Officer (TSO) may ask you to insert your physical ID into one of our new Credential Authentication Technology units. Residents of Arizona, Colorado and Maryland may even use their Apple mobile device to store their ID in Apple Wallet and use their mobile device in certain TSA PreCheck lanes at participating airports."
WINTER STORM LEAVES OVER 1 MILLION WITHOUT POWER AHEAD OF HOLIDAY
A winter storm stretching from the plains to the East Coast has been causing headaches for many fliers as they attempt to travel for the holidays.
Flight disruptions
Travelers stand in line for a TSA checkpoint at the Miami International Airport on Dec. 19, 2022 in Miami, Florida. Miami International Airport is expecting a busy winter holiday travel season this year, with 2.5 million passengers expected from Dec. (Joe Raedle/Getty Images / Getty Images)
HOLIDAY FLIGHT CANCELLATIONS: KNOW YOUR AIRLINE'S POLICIES AND BEST OPTIONS
As of 2:55 p.m. Eastern, more than 6,200 flights within, into or out of the U.S. have been delayed on Friday, according to the flight tracking website FlightAware. Meanwhile, over 4,600 have gotten canceled.
On Thursday, more than 10,000 U.S. flights saw delays and over 2,500 were canceled, per FlightAware.
Joe Toppe contributed to this report.
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