Summary

  • Record-breaking travel expected during July 4th holiday, with over 28 million travelers expected to be screened by TSA.
  • Airports and airlines face high passenger volume, breaking previous records.
  • TSA advises passengers to arrive early, be prepared, and follow directions for a smoother security experience.

A record number of Americans are packing their bags and taking to the skies during the long July 4th holiday weekend. While a vast majority of those traveling will drive to their destinations, airports across the country are also seeing massive passenger footfall, keeping airlines and airport staff busy.

TSA sees massive crowds at airports

Airports across the United States are seeing high passenger volume, with numbers set to break records over the long July 4th holiday period. The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) expects to screen more than 28 million travelers between June 28 through July 8, a 5.4% increase over last year’s Independence Day holiday period.

Dozens of passengers waiting in a long TSA Security line.

Photo: Jim Lambert I Shutterstock 

Passenger numbers are expected to peak on Sunday, July 7, with the agency expecting to screen more than 3 million people at more than 430 airports. According to motorist group AAA, more than 70 million people in the country will travel during the holiday period, of which nearly 6 million will fly to their destinations. AAA spokesperson Andrew Gross said,

“We’ve never seen numbers like this. 2024’s travel seems to be what 2020 would have been, had it not been for the pandemic.”

A few days ago, TSA broke the record for the most number of people screened on a single day, at 2.99 million. This record will probably be broken this Sunday, which will be one of the busiest traveling days on record this year.

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Busy all day long

You’d be forgiven to think that avoiding the peak airport hours and taking early morning or late night flights could help prevent the travel rush during these days. And while that would normally hold true, it seems that many airports are seeing heavy crowds at all hours.

Person going through TSA Precheck line and regular line through airport security.

Photo: Joni Hanebutt | Shutterstock

Nicole Lindsay, a Baltimore resident, was traveling with her three kids through Palm Beach International Airport in Florida and decided to book an early morning flight for a smoother traveling experience. But she told ABC News,

“I thought it wouldn’t be that busy, but it turned out to be quite busy. It was a lot of kids on the flight, so it was kind of noisy — a lot of crying babies.”

Southwest Airlines Boeing 737 MAX aircraft at DAL shutterstock_2334328187

Photo: Markus Mainka | Shutterstock

The TSA, however, is confident of handling the influx of passengers to meet its wait time standards – 10 minutes and under in TSA PreCheck lanes and 30 minutes and under in standard screening lanes.

Advice from TSA

With airports busier than usual for the next few days, the TSA has some advice for passengers to help make the airport and security screening experience a bit smoother. Some of the tips it has shared with passengers include:

  • Arrive at the airport early and prepared. This includes factoring in the time for parking and navigating to the terminal.
  • Preparing for any scenario, including having your photo identification and boarding pass ready.
  • Listening to directions provided by TSA officers to make your screening experience quicker and smoother.
  • Packing smart and starting with an empty bag to ensure you don’t mistakenly carry prohibited items to the security checkpoint.

While the travel rush will somewhat reduce after the Independence Day holidays, the entire summer season is still expected to see a record number of travelers, with TSA Administrator David Pekoske saying that they expect this summer to be their busiest ever.

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