Memorial Day Weekend Travel Numbers Shatter Pre-Pandemic Records
Last year marked a major milestone in post-pandemic travel as the number of flyers began to reach pre-pandemic levels over major holidays. In recent weeks, the Transportation Security Administration has consistently logged a record number of travelers, with five of the agency’s 10 busiest-ever travel days happening in May 2024 alone. American travelers once again set a new record over the Memorial Day holiday weekend.
According to the TSA, it screened approximately 2.95 million passengers at airports across the country on Friday, May 24 to kick off the holiday weekend, setting an all-time record for the most travelers scanned in a single day. It shattered the previous record set in November 2023 during the Thanksgiving travel season. Unsurprisingly, Thursday, May 23 was the third busiest day on record with just under 2.9 million passengers, per the TSA.
“TSA officers have set a new record for most travelers screened in a single day,” the agency wrote on X over the weekend.
BREAKING NEWS: TSA Officers have set a new record for most travelers screened in a single day! On Friday, May 24, 2,951,163 individuals were screened at checkpoints nationwide, surpassing the previous record on Nov. 26, 2023. We recommend arriving early. Have travel questions?… pic.twitter.com/lyBgTEPLHZ
— TSA (@TSA) May 25, 2024
Of the 10 busiest travel days in TSA history, only one remains from the pre-pandemic era: December 1, 2019, the Sunday after Thanksgiving that year. All five dates in 2024 have been in May, while the four entries from 2023 were largely during the summer travel season.
The record number of air travelers was mirrored by road travel forecasts from the American Automobile Association, which predicted earlier this month that Memorial Day weekend travel would hit nearly two-decade highs. In total, AAA believed that 43.8 million people would travel 50 miles or more over the weekend, putting it close to the record of 44 million set in 2005.
Whether you’re planning to travel by air or by road this summer and later this year during the holiday season, you’ll probably want to allow some extra time just to be safe.
