If you subscribe to my free travel newsletter (here’s the link), then you know that I’ve been predicting that the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would break their single-day record for highest number of passengers screened for a while now. I thought they were going to break the record on the Friday before the 4th of July but it didn’t happen. The previous record was just a week before that, on June 23 with 2,996,193 screened passengers in a single day.
Thanksgiving, specifically the Wednesday before and the Sunday after, are traditionally the two busiest travel days of the year. However, post-pandemic, it seems travelers are realizing that nothing should be taken for granted and they’re traveling a lot more often.
I must have clicked refresh on the TSA’s website two dozen times this morning, trying to find yesterday’s numbers. They finally posted them around 9:30am ET.
The TSA quickly took to X to tout the record. Lisa Farbstein, TSA spokesperson, tweeted, “If you flew yesterday, congratulations as you were part of @TSA history! For the first time ever in TSA’s 22 years, more than 3 million travelers were screened at checkpoints nationwide. Yep, we hit a milestone and it was one for the record books!”
BREAKING NEWS: If you flew yesterday, congratulations as you were part of @TSA history! For the first time ever in TSA’s 22 years, more than 3 million travelers were screened at checkpoints nationwide. Yep, we hit a milestone and it was one for the record books! https://t.co/9CVk8hbpbR
— Lisa Farbstein, TSA Spokesperson (@TSA_Northeast) July 8, 2024
Last month, the TSA shared a graphic of the Top 10 Busiest Travel Days along, with some advice: We recommend arriving early. Have travel questions? For LIVE assistance, message @AskTSA
or text TRAVEL to (275-872).
The graph above will obviously need some updating because since June 24th, there have been four days of travel (June 27, 28, 30 and July 7) with higher numbers. It’s quite remarkable how many Americans are traveling right now.
A lot of people also don’t realize that the TSA does an excellent job answering questions on social media. You can find out what is and is not allowed usually within 10 minutes if you send them a question during office hours. Here’s how it works.
And if you’re traveling soon, here are 10 airport security hacks every traveler needs to know.
KEEP READING
–How To Make Sure the TSA PreCheck Checkmark is On Your Boarding Pass
–Did You Know Your Electronic Devices Should Always Be Charged When Going Through Security?
–10 Airport Security Hacks Every Traveler Needs to Know
–Mom Shares Hilarious Reason She’s Not Getting TSA PreCheck Anytime Soon
–How to Get a Full Bottle of Water Through Airport Security
Want more travel news, tips and deals? Sign up to Johnny Jet’s free newsletter and check out these popular posts: The Travel Gadget Flight Attendants Never Leave Home Without and 12 Ways to Save Money on Baggage Fees. Follow Johnny Jet on MSN, Facebook, Instagram, Pinterest, and YouTube for all of my travel posts.
I was on my way to Russia for a Riverboat trip. Gong thru the Miami Int. TSA line minus shoes, jacket passport and my paper e- ticket just out of an airport computer. TSA decided to examine me from stem to stern before I could empty out the container with all my belongings. Someone stole my passport and tickets. I got really loud and got ready to call the cops. The manager tried to quiet me but I kept on yelling. Finally I settled down and 45 minutes later my passport and tickets were returned to me with no explanation as to who stole them or what had happened. I wondered at the time if it was an excuse to distract me while re -dressing and getting shoes back on my feet when the employee ran off with the container before I could empty it. No one there ever admitted as to what had happened.