by Donald Wood
Last updated: 9:10 AM ET, Tue May 30, 2023
Even with more Transportation Security Administration agents
and air traffic controllers on duty to meet the holiday rush, the Memorial Day
travel period was one of the busiest in recent memory, leaving travelers
waiting in long lines at airports across the United States.
According to the TSA’s official website, 2,744,469 people
were screened by security officers on Friday, May 26, the most since November
2019, with wait times topping one hour or more at several of the busiest
facilities.
On Thursday, May 25, TSA officers screened 2,658,057 Americans,
an increase from the 2,399,579 recorded in 2022 and the 2,485,770 recorded
pre-pandemic. On Saturday, May 27, 2,206,575 people went through checkpoints.
As for the people heading home from vacation, 2,257,766
Americans passed through TSA checkpoints on Sunday, May 28, while 2,577,437
travelers made their way through U.S. airports on Monday, May 29.
Monday’s travel numbers also topped pre-pandemic totals, surpassing
the 2,499,002 people screened in 2019.
Despite the long lines and packed airports, Transportation Secretary
Pete Buttigieg said that flight cancellation rates remained below one percent
through Sunday, an impressive feat after flight cancellations and delays ruined
the winter holiday travel period for many Americans.
The low cancelation rate was also aided by favorable weather
conditions for most of the U.S.
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