by Lacey Pfalz
Last updated: 10:20 AM ET, Mon August 16, 2021
A new study published by The Vacationer expects this Labor Day weekend to have the highest rates of travel this year so far, exceeding the number of travelers who took advantage of the Fourth of July weekend to travel.
In air travel alone, the Fourth of July weekend saw more than 7.9 million fliers. While this number didn't live up to pre-pandemic levels, it was still an indicator of recovery.
Furthermore, from July 29 to August 3, the TSA had recorded more than two million passengers a day going through airport security. This was the highest rate since the pandemic began, signaling things getting somewhat back to normal, at least as far as air travel is concerned.
Labor Day, then, should be a strong indicator of whether or not the Delta variant will slow down travel. Air travel has already taken a hit, when on August 10 the TSA recorded 1.7 million people flying, the lowest daily number in two months.
The Vacationer's new survey suggests that 137 million Americans (53 percent) plan to travel over the Labor Day holiday, but many of those (37 percent) plan to travel by car, with only 12 percent planning to travel by plane.
Despite the desire and the willingness to travel, Americans still have concerns about the Delta variant. Almost 48 percent of Americans believe the Delta variant is a slight concern, while 28 percent believe it's a big concern when thinking about Labor Day travel. Just under 25 percent of Americans believe COVID-19 and its Delta variant are no problem at all when considering their holiday travel plans.
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