TSA Predicts Record-Breaking Travel Season

CHARLOTTE, N.C. – The unofficial start to summer is right around the corner, and early forecasts are pointing toward a season filled with travel, as TSA expects to set new records this summer.

AAA predicts nearly 44 million people will travel 50 miles or more away from home this Memorial Day weekend. Nearly 3,500,000 of them are expected to travel by air, a nine percent increase compared to 2019, according to AAA.

“What we’re seeing now, as in 2024, four years after the pandemic, the travel industry has just come back in a big way,” Aixa Diaz with AAA said.

Diaz says Memorial Day travel paints a picture of what we can expect for summer travel. Based on their projections, the season is expected to be sizzling hot.

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) also expects to set new records this summer. The agency expects screening more than three million passengers on peak days this summer season.

“Airports are going to be packed. If you’ve flown recently, you know that most flights these days don’t have many empty seats left,” Diaz said. “People are flying in big numbers.”

Diaz says road trips are also expected to set a new record with about 38 million people traveling by car with gas prices similar to last year.