Washington, DC (WOAY) – For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of people streaming through U.S. airport-security checkpoints over a holiday weekend exceeded pre-pandemic levels. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) reports screening 8.76 million travelers between Friday, September 2, and Monday, September 5.
The weekend travel volume represents 106% of the volume for the same pre-pandemic holiday weekend in 2019. In addition, this year’s Labor Day Weekend is the first time passenger volume on a holiday weekend has exceeded that of 2019. The airport’s busiest day was Friday, screening 2.48 million travelers.
Airlines canceled about 640 U.S. flights between Friday and Monday, 0.6% of the total, according to tracking service FlightAware, less than one-third of the cancellation rate between June 1 and Labor Day.
TSA reports finding 67 guns in passenger bags between Friday and Monday. The average this year has been 17.3 guns per day. The agency said if that rate continues, 2022 will break last year’s record of 5,972 guns discovered at checkpoints.
 reports screening 8.76 million travelers between Friday, September 2, and Monday, September 5.){kind=link}