Labor Day saw a spike in air travel numbers, with over two million travelers screened. This is good news for the air travel industry since passenger numbers have been declining over the past three weeks. This is still 11.7% less than the pre-pandemic numbers in 2019 but 125% more than the dismal numbers we saw in 2020.
Air travel statistics from August 31- September 6, 2021
According to the TSA, almost 2.1 million people were scanned on Friday. This is only 4% below pre-pandemic levels and making it the biggest travel day of the holiday. Despite seeing over two million passengers twice over the four-day weekend, just 7.3 million people took to the skies in total. This is down from 8.6 million in 2019, with Saturday seeing the least traffic at just over 1.5 million travelers.
Overall, this time period saw 12,039,403 air travelers being screened across airports in the country. This is way higher than 5,230,148 in 2020 but much lower than 14,653 970 in 2021 during the same period of time. September 3, Friday saw the highest travel numbers of the week at 2,129,999. August 31, Tuesday saw the least with only 1,345,064 people traveling that day.
What Labor Day weekend travel was like
Travel remained trouble-free for the most part, despite the large number of people traveling. TSA reported that 92.3% of passengers spent fewer than 15 minutes in security lines, except in some places. Airports like Denver, Orlando, Anchorage, and Kahului, had slightly longer wait times.
Interestingly, fewer Americans took the skies over the Labor Day holiday weekend than the Fourth of July holiday, just a couple of months ago. TSA data shows that just over 9.2 million passengers passed through TSA checkpoints between September 2 and September 6. This is a significant decrease from the Fourth of July holiday weekend when more than 10.1 million passengers flew through US airports.
The decline in air travel numbers comes in the backdrop of the rising spread of the contagious delta strain spreads. In fact, the director of the CDC warned unvaccinated Americans against traveling ahead of the holiday weekend. According to a poll conducted by Cars.com, more than 20% of Americans who planned to fly for the weekend canceled their flights owing to fears about rising cases and chose to drive to their destination instead.
Despite the drop in travel demand, Americans continued to flock to beaches and college football stadiums to mark the unofficial end of summer.
Prepared before you travel
People who have been fully vaccinated can travel within the country, according to the CDC. However, they still need to follow protective measures like social distancing and mask-wearing. The CDC does, however, advise unvaccinated people to postpone their vacation.
If you want a worry-free travel experience, you might consider driving yourself to the airport instead of taking public transportation. It is still a smart idea to book parking ahead to guarantee yourself a parking spot. This makes sure you’ll get reasonably priced parking and can travel with peace of mind. You can always use Way.com to book contactless LAX Airport parking, JFK Airport parking, or O’Hare Airport parking. In fact, use the Way.com app or website to book parking at whichever airport you’re traveling from.
Check out more blogs on the best parking spots in your city, the most affordable insurance for your car, and top-rated car washes near you.
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RenĂ©e Martin is a travel and car expert who focuses on smart car ownership and road travel in the U.S. For the past 6 years, she’s been helping make car ownership, driving, and trip planning easier for everyday travelers.
