The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened a record number of passengers nationwide over the Labor Day weekend, with Friday marking one of the busiest travel days in the agency’s history.
Approximately 10.4 million travelers flooded airports from Friday through Monday, marking a 3.3% jump over the same four-day period in 2024.
Friday was the busiest day for the Friday before Labor Day, with TSA officers screening 2,971,217 passengers. It also marked the 15th busiest single day in the agency’s nearly 24-year history.
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Eight out of the top 10 busiest travel days at airports nationwide have been reported since May 23 as the agency is on pace to break an all-time annual passenger volume record this year.
The numbers highlight how “air travel continues to reach record high trajectories,” according to TSA acting Deputy Administrator Adam Stahl. However, Stahl said TSA is “fully prepared to meet the growing demand by maintaining a close partnership with our aviation industry partners.”
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Stahl said the agency underwent “a summer of remarkable change.” It enhanced the traveler experience while boosting security as it seeks to “implement President Trump’s vision for a new Golden Age of American travel,” he continued.
Recent TSA policy changes made this summer:
- TSA ended the “Shoes-Off” policy, allowing passengers traveling through domestic airports to keep their shoes on while passing through security screening at TSA checkpoints.
- TSA unveiled the “Serve with Honor, Travel with Ease” program, in partnership with TSA PreCheck, which provides dedicated screening lanes for military members at select airports, free TSA PreCheck for those who lost a family member in military service and a discount on TSA PreCheck enrollment for military spouses.
- The agency in July also launched its new “Families on the Fly” initiative, providing dedicated family lanes at select airports to ease some of the stress for traveling families. It also discounted TSA PreCheck for family members and dedicated TSA PreCheck lanes for service members traveling with spouses and children.
Homeland Security Secretary Kristi Noem also hinted in July that there may be an easing of rules surrounding the size of liquids that travelers can bring in carry-on luggage, though no change has been made to date.
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“The liquids I’m questioning, so that may be the next big announcement, is what size your liquids need to be,” Noem said at an event in Washington, D.C., hosted by “The Hill.”
