A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officer is wearing a protective mask and is behind a protective barrier while examining a passenger at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, USA on Tuesday June 9, 2020.
Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images
TSA agents examined 1,357,111 people at airports on Friday, the largest number of passengers in a single day since March 15, 2020.
The milestone reflects that air travel is beginning to resume after a difficult year for airlines caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Air travel to the United States reached a low point on April 14, 2020, with only 87,500 passengers passing through TSA checkpoints. According to the TSA, travel by 2020 fell by more than 60% over the previous year to 324 million passengers. The TSA examines passengers at 440 U.S. airports
The reduction in travel has hit airlines hard. U.S. airlines lost more than $ 35 billion, combined, last year due to low passenger traffic. Airlines were forced to reduce flights, block seats and implement security measures in response to the pandemic.
Airlines expect a revival of travel in the coming months, with new cases of Covid-19 falling in much of the country and more people being vaccinated. Thirteen percent of American adults have been fully vaccinated as of Friday.
Friday’s passengers were still 20% lower than the number of passengers on the same day last year and down nearly 38% from 2019.