The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened more than 10.1 million travelers over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, which includes traveler screenings from July 1 to July 5. This milestone represents 83% of travel volume for the same 5-day holiday period in 2019.
Thursday, July 1 was the busiest air travel day of the weekend, with TSA screening 2,147,090 people, which was 103% of the 2,088,760 travelers screened on Thursday of the 2019 Fourth of July weekend.
Also on July 1, TSA screened almost 458,000 TSA PreCheck® travelers, the highest number of TSA PreCheck screenings in one day since the beginning of the pandemic. Over the course of the long weekend, 99.7% of passengers in standard screening lanes waited less than 30 minutes, and 99% of TSA PreCheck passengers waited less than 5 minutes. Travelers interested in PreCheck are encouraged to begin their enrollment online before visiting one of the 440+ conveniently located TSA enrollment centers around the country to complete the application process. TSA PreCheck members are not required to remove their shoes, belts, or light outerwear items at the checkpoint, and can also keep laptops, 3-1-1 compliant liquids, aerosols and gels inside their carry-on bags.
“This holiday weekend, TSA saw over 10 million passengers travel safely through security checkpoints. With some airports already exceeding 2019 travel volumes and many not far behind, we expect the summer to remain busy for travel,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “However, there were 70 firearms intercepted this weekend. We continue to remind passengers to pack mindfully and help us avoid the dangers, delays and consequences that accompany a gun or weapon detected at a security checkpoint.”
As travelers prepare to embark on a trip, they may submit questions about TSA policies and procedures via Twitter at @AskTSA or via Facebook Messenger to a team of TSA employees who provide real-time responses in, on average, under 3 minutes during core travel hours.
A mask mandate remains in place for all passengers traveling on planes, buses, trains, and other forms of public transportation traveling into, within, or out of the United States, and in U.S. transportation hubs such as airports and stations. For more information about COVID-19 guidance, please visit the CDC website. For the latest airport security screening procedures, please visit tsa.gov/coronavirus.
The Transportation Security Administration was created to strengthen the security of the nation's transportation systems and ensure the freedom of movement for people and commerce. TSA uses a risk-based strategy and works closely with transportation, law enforcement and intelligence communities to set the standard for excellence in transportation security.
For more information about TSA, please visit our website at tsa.gov.