TSA Screens Highest Number of Passengers Ever Amid Week of Flight Delays, Cancellations

On Friday the TSA screened a total of 2,884,683 passengers.

The Transportation Security Administration made history ahead of the July 4 holiday weekend, screening the most passengers ever in a single day in the agency’s history.

On Friday, June 30, alone, the TSA screened a total of 2,884,683 passengers, according to the agency. That represents the highest checkpoint throughput volume in the agency’s history, TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein tweeted.

“This is exactly why we recommend travelers get to the airport early and why it's vital to ensure you do not have any prohibited items with you,” Farbstein said of the record number of passengers.

Overall, more than 12 million total travelers passed through airports in the United States throughout the holiday weekend from Friday through Tuesday.

The record numbers didn’t come as a surprise to the TSA, which correctly predicted June 30 could be the busiest travel day on record. However, it did come on the heels of thousands of cancellations and delays due to a combination of weather woes and air traffic control staffing issues.

Following the chaos, United Airlines’ CEO Scott Kirby called it "one of the most operationally challenging weeks I've experienced in my entire career” in a memo obtained by Travel + Leisure. The airline then handed out 30,000 miles to passengers who were affected by the disruptions.

By Wednesday, travelers were still experiencing disruptions across the country with just over 7,200 flights delayed within, into, or out of the U.S. and nearly 500 canceled, according to flight tracker FlightAware. That follows the holiday weekend which saw more than 7,700 delays on Sunday, more than 5,000 delays on Monday, and more than 4,400 delays on Tuesday.

Looking ahead, as of early Thursday morning, more than 690 flights had already been delayed and nearly 100 canceled.

Complicating things, the Federal Aviation Administration remains severely understaffed when it comes to air traffic control employees. And to make things worse going forward, Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg has warned flight problems could become even more common with the expanded rollout of the 5G network this month since planes that are not fitted with updated equipment won’t be allowed to land during poor visibility, including in bad weather.

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