Nearly 2.3 million people traveled in the nation’s air system Thanksgiving Day, which was an all-time high, the Transportation Security Administration said. The holiday travel network was also the second busiest for Thanksgiving, trailing only 2007.
The enormous increase in travelers is a milestone for security screenings, which have dramatically expanded in recent years.
In an earlier statement, the TSA said that airports handled a record 3.8 million passenger checkpoint screenings across the country on Thanksgiving. That translated to an average of 161 checkpoints per airport.
The largest increases were seen at New York’s LaGuardia, John F. Kennedy and Newark airports, as well as Chicago’s O’Hare.
“We see the impact of more people traveling right now as we prepare for a busy holiday season,” John Paisley, TSA’s national security director at Atlanta’s Hartsfield Jackson International Airport, said in a statement. “Our officers are doing an outstanding job of screening thousands of bags daily and connecting passengers. It has truly been a pleasure to be able to serve the traveling public through this tough time.”
The federal agency has ramped up security screenings nationwide since the thwarted Christmas attack on a U.S.-bound flight from Amsterdam, allegedly perpetrated by a man with a fake bomb in his underwear.
More aggressive screening procedures, including advanced imaging technology, have required all travelers to either remove electronics and shoes or put items in bins for the pat-down.
In an earlier statement, the TSA said that airports handled a record 3.8 million passenger checkpoint screenings across the country on Thanksgiving. That translated to an average of 161 checkpoints per airport.