By David Shepardson
WASHINGTON (Reuters) -The U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it screened 2.95 million airline passengers on Friday, the most ever in a single day.
The record-breaking trip coincides with the Memorial Day weekend that marks the start of the U.S. summer travel season. Last week, a group representing major U.S. airlines forecast record summer travel, with airlines expected to carry 271 million passengers, up 6.3% from last year.
The TSA said Friday’s trip broke a record of nearly 2.91 million air passengers screened in November. Five of the 10 busiest travel days on record have been since May 16, the agency said.
Airlines for America said U.S. airlines plan to operate more than 26,000 daily flights this summer, nearly 1,400 more than in 2023, or 5.6%, when they carried 255 million passengers. The summer travel season forecast runs from June 1 to August 31.
American Airlines (NASDAQ:) said it will increase flights by 10% this summer and expects 10% more passengers during the Memorial Day travel period from May 23 to May 28 – nearly 3.9 million passengers on 36,000 flights.
United Airlines predicts it will handle 3 million travelers during the Memorial Day travel period, an increase of nearly 10% and the highest number ever during this period.
Delta Air Lines (NYSE:) said it expects a 5% increase in Memorial Day weekend customer numbers to nearly 3 million customers between May 23 and 27.
The forecast comes as the Federal Aviation Administration struggles to address an ongoing shortage of air traffic controllers. Some airlines voluntarily cut flights to New York last summer to address congestion issues and have raised new concerns about the lack of air traffic controllers.
Airlines can lose their take-off and landing slots at congested airports if they do not use them enough.
The FAA extended cuts to these minimum flight requirements at New York City-area airports through October due to staffing concerns, and major airlines last month requested an extension of these cuts through October 2025.
