Post-Tribune

US airports see holiday throng exceed pre-pandemic level

- By David Koenig

The July Fourth holiday weekend was off to a booming start with airport crowds crushing the numbers seen in 2019, before the pandemic.

Travelers seemed to be experienci­ng fewer delays and canceled flights Friday than they did earlier this week.

The Transporta­tion Security Administra­tion screened more than 2.4 million travelers at airport checkpoint­s Thursday, 17% more than on the Friday before July Fourth in 2019.

“We expect that (Friday) is going to be busy, of course, and then Sunday will be very busy,” TSA Administra­tor David Pekoske said on NBC’s “Today” show.

AAA predicts nearly 48 million people will travel at least 50 miles or more from home over the weekend, slightly fewer than in 2019, setting a record even with the national average price for gasoline near $5.

Leisure travel has bounced back this year, and with many flights sold out over the July Fourth weekend, airlines will struggle to find seats for passengers whose flights are canceled.

If you’re already at the airport when your flight is canceled, “it’s time to flex your multitaski­ng skills,” said Sebastian Modak, editor-at-large of travel guide publisher Lonely Planet. He advises heading straight to the airline’s help desk, checking its app on your phone and calling the airline’s customer-service line — an internatio­nal number might be answered sooner than a U.S. one for airlines that have both.

Modak said driving or taking a bus or train will often be a better option in the U.S. this summer.

“There’s no getting around the fact that this is going to be a summer of travel delays, cancellati­ons and frustratio­ns,” he said.

While vacationer­s are crowing airports and roadside restaurant­s, business travel and internatio­nal flying remain depressed, and the total number of people flying has not fully recovered to pre-pandemic levels. TSA screened 11% fewer people in June than it did in the same month of 2019.

Thursday marked the 11th time since the pandemic started that TSA checked more people than it did on the same day in 2019, and just the second time since February.

 ?? MATT ROURKE/AP ?? The TSA screened more than 2.4 million travelers at U.S. airport checkpoint­s Thursday.
MATT ROURKE/AP The TSA screened more than 2.4 million travelers at U.S. airport checkpoint­s Thursday.

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