Amid travel surge, a record 3 million passed through U.S. airport security Sunday

More than 3 million people passed through U.S. airport security Sunday, the first time that many have been screened in a single day, according to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.

The record, which was widely predicted to happen at some point over the Fourth of July holiday weekend, topped the previous high of more than 2.99 million screened passengers, set June 23. Eight of the 10 busiest days in TSA history have come this year, as the number of travelers tops pre-pandemic levels.

The TSA was created after the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and replaced a collection of private security companies that were hired by airlines. The agency operates under the Department of Homeland Security, which said agents checked 35 passengers every second Sunday.

While Americans grapple with inflation, travel costs, including airline tickets and hotels, have eased significantly from a year ago. Hotel rooms were 1.2% cheaper in May than the same month last year, according to recent government inflation data. Those costs have been trending lower since the beginning of the year.

While most U.S. airlines lost money in the first quarter — traditionally the weakest time of year for travel — all were expecting a summer of full flights.

This spring, American and Southwest said they expected solid second-quarter profits. They joined Delta Air Lines and United Airlines in giving an upbeat outlook for the April-through-June period, which includes the start of peak season for carriers.

Delta reports its second-quarter earnings Thursday, with analysts predicting sales of $15.5 billion, nearly $1 billion more than the same period a year ago. Next week, United and American will issue their quarterly results; Wall Street is forecasting higher revenue from a year ago for both carriers.

Increasingly full planes since the pandemic shut down travel four years ago have brought a downside for airlines: customer complaints.

The Transportation Department last week said it received nearly 97,000 complaints in 2023, up from 86,000 the year before. The department said there were so many complaints that it took until July to sort through the filings and compile the figures.

That’s the most complaints since 2020, when airlines were slow to give customers refunds after the pandemic shut down air travel.

The Transportation Department said the increase was partly the result of travelers knowing about their rights and the ability to file a complaint. Airlines receive many more complaints from travelers who don’t know how or don’t bother to file them with the government, but the carriers don’t release those numbers.

Ott writes for the Associated Press.