Report: Sunday Was the Busiest Travel Day for U.S. Airline Passengers — In History The TSA recorded just over 2.9 million passengers traveling on November 26.
By Emily Rella
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If you experienced long security lines, massive crowds, and longer-than-usual wait times while traveling through your usual airport this past weekend, you weren't alone.
New data reported by the Transportation Security Administration found that this past weekend — namely the Thanksgiving weekend — was much busier than usual.
In fact, Sunday was the busiest day for U.S. airports in history.
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The TSA screened roughly 2,907,378 passengers during the holiday weekend, the most ever recorded. In June, that number was almost 2.9 million, a record at the time.
Passengers wait to board flights at San Francisco International Airport on November 26, 2023 (Liu Guanguan/China News Service/VCG via Getty Images)
From November 24 through November 27, TSA recorded passenger volumes of over 2 million, with an average number of passengers reaching 2,065,802 from the period beginning on Thanksgiving day through the following Monday.
Individual airlines also saw record highs in passenger numbers.
American Airlines saw an estimated 6.5 million passengers over the Thanksgiving holiday, in the period that began on November 23 and concluded on November 28.
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"Millions of customers were counting on us to connect them with their families, friends, and loved ones this Thanksgiving — and we delivered," American Airlines's Chief Operating Officer David Seymour said in a company release.
Travelers wait in the line to check in for flights at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) ahead of the Thanksgiving holiday on November 22, 2023 (Mario Tama/Getty Images)
Sunday's number of total U.S. passengers is up over 200,000 travelers from the same time last year.
