TSA records its busiest day in history ahead of July Fourth

(NEXSTAR) – The Transportation Security Administration recorded its single busiest day in history on Friday, TSA officials confirmed over the weekend.

On June 30, officers at TSA checkpoints nationwide screened a total of 2,883,595 travelers, marking the “highest number of passengers the agency has screened on record,” according to the TSA.

The next-busiest day on record occurred on Nov. 27, 2019 — the Sunday after Thanksgiving of that year — when a total of 2,882,915 passengers were screened.

The days before and after July Fourth and Thanksgiving have historically been busy times for travel. In 2019, for instance, TSA officers nationwide screened just under 2.8 million passengers the Sunday before the Fourth, marking another of the agency’s busiest travel days in history. Decreased demand for air travel amid the pandemic, however, contributed to plummeting passenger numbers in the subsequent years.

Travelers more than made up for it on Friday, though, with many likely planning trips or vacations to take advantage of a long holiday “weekend.”

The TSA also made note of 2023’s busy summer season in multiple press releases outlining the prohibited items found in passengers’ possession at checkpoints on June 30.

“Summer has been extremely busy and Friday was the busiest day ever in TSA’s 21-year history,” said Karen Keys-Turner, TSA’s Federal Security Director for the Pittsburgh International Airport, in a press release issued this week. “Our officers are doing a tremendous job staying vigilant while screening travelers during this peak period.”

On Twitter, TSA also reminded passengers to give themselves extra time to get to the airport and prepare for screening.

“Have your ID out and ready,” the agency wrote. “The rest of the week will continue to be busy.”