What travelers should be aware of when flying through the friendly skies on Memorial Day
About 44 million Americans will travel by ground or air over Memorial Day weekend, and aviation expert Kathleen Bangs breaks down what to expect during the busy travel period.
A record 2.95 million people passed through Transportation Security Administration checkpoints on Friday of the Memorial Day weekend, setting a new U.S. record for number of screenings in a single day.
The TSA reported that five of the top 10 travel dates so far occurred over Memorial Day weekend, leaving only two dates on the big board related to Christmas or Thanksgiving travel.
Airports across the country reported breaking previous records, with Atlanta's Hartfield-Jackson International Airport reporting 111,000 people passed through security, surpassing the all-time high set during Super Bowl 53 in 2019.
“Holiday travel is always a busy time, but our officers remain focused on their jobs, working efficiently and courteously to help travelers get to their destinations safely,” Robin Burke, TSA director at Richmond International Airport, said in a statement.
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The busiest day in the country to date was the Sunday after Thanksgiving in 2023, with an estimated 2,908,785 screenings.
A new AAA survey found that more Americans plan to take vacations during the summer than any other season in 2024.
Popular destinations include beaches, national parks and cosmopolitan cities.
A record 4.7 billion people are expected to travel around the world in 2024, but many of the busiest days are expected to fall outside of what is traditionally considered the winter holiday travel season.
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The TSA recommends passengers arrive at the airport at least two hours before for domestic flights and three hours before for international flights.
In March, the agency announced an expansion of its “PreCheck” program, which allows select passengers to take advantage of an expedited testing process at more than 200 airports.
Security officials estimate that 99 percent of passengers who enroll in the PreCheck program wait less than 10 minutes at airport security checkpoints.
“The most important thing travelers can do is arrive at the airport early and be prepared for checkpoint screening procedures,” Burke said.
