TSA Reports Highest Number of Screenings Since March

Image: PHOTO: People waiting in long security lines at Atlanta airport. (photo by Eric Bowman)

by Mackenzie Cullen
Last updated: 2:51 PM ET, Fri May 1, 2020

Just days after the TSA reported a significant increase in passenger screenings on Sunday, a new record has been set. On April 30, the TSA recorded 154,695 passengers, the highest amount since March 29, which recorded over 180,000 screenings.

The increase marks a substantial uptick for the month of April, which has seen the lowest numbers of passenger screenings since the coronavirus pandemic began. Sunday, April 26, was originally considered April's highest day with 128,875 screenings.

According to Fox News, the increasing number of travelers may be attributed to some states loosening their shelter-in-place orders. Even April 29 showed improvement with 119,629 passenger screenings.

Despite the increase, the average daily screenings are significantly fewer than in 2019. On April 30, 2019, the TSA screened 2,499,461 passengers. This year's daily screenings can be compared to last year's through the TSA's public logs.

While the month of April finished strong after weeks of passenger traffic hovering around 90,000 - low 100,000s, it is still too early to determine if the trend will continue into May, with many travel restrictions, stay-at-home orders and social distancing policies still in place.

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