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The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reported a record-breaking Labor Day holiday weekend. The agency screened nearly 10.4 million travelers across US airports from Friday through Monday. This represents a 3.3% increase over the same four-day period in 2024 and reflects the seemingly never-ending surge of post-pandemic air travel.
August 29th was the standout day of the weekend. TSA officers screened 2,971,217 passengers. This marked the highest volume ever recorded for the Friday before Labor Day and the 15th busiest single day in the TSA’s 24-year history. The milestone comes as part of a broader trend: eight of TSA’s top 10 busiest travel days ever have occurred since May 23rd. The agency is on track to break its all-time annual passenger volume record by the end of the year.
To keep pace with increasing demand and improve the passenger experience, the TSA has introduced several new policies and initiatives this summer. These include:
- Shoes-On Screening Policy: The TSA ended its long-standing requirement for passengers to remove their shoes during domestic screenings.
- “Serve with Honor, Travel with Ease” Program: Developed in partnership with TSA PreCheck® enrollment providers such as CLEAR, IDEMIA, and Telos, this program honors military families by offering dedicated screening lanes for active military members at select airports. It also provides free TSA PreCheck® enrollment to Gold Star families and gives military spouses a discounted TSA PreCheck® rate.
- “Families on the Fly” Initiative: Launched in July, this program introduced dedicated family lanes at select airports. It also includes discounted TSA PreCheck® for family members.
With holiday travel season approaching, TSA officials urge passengers to arrive at airports early, remain aware of new screening policies, and consider enrolling in TSA PreCheck®. As passenger numbers continue to climb, these new initiatives aim to balance security and efficiency for the millions passing through US airports.
Anthony’s Take: I flew on Friday and Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD) was jam packed. It took 45 minutes for a Starbucks mobile order and there seemed to be no end to the lines of folks traveling.
(Featured Image Credit: Transportation Security Administration.)
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Advertiser & Editorial Disclosure: The Bulkhead Seat earns an affiliate commission for anyone approved through the links above This compensation may impact how and where links appear on this site. We work to provide the best publicly available offers to our readers. We frequently update them, but this site does not include all available offers. Opinions, reviews, analyses & recommendations are the author’s alone, and have not been reviewed, endorsed, or approved by any of these entities.
