by Donald Wood
Last updated: 4:12 PM ET, Mon March 15, 2021
For the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic hit the United States, the number of travelers passing through airport security surpassed the totals from 2020.
According to The Associated Press, Transportation Security Administration (TSA) officials announced 1.34 million passengers passed through security checkpoints around the U.S. on Sunday, March 14.
The 1.34 million people topped the 1.26 million travelers who made their way through American airports on the comparable date a year ago. Sunday was the fourth-straight day TSA agents saw more than one million people pass through its checkpoints.
Officials revealed nearly 1.36 million travelers were screened by agents on Friday, March 12, bringing the seven-day moving average of TSA traffic to its highest level since March 2020.
Despite the recent surge in passenger volume, the numbers registered on Sunday were still 45 percent lower than on the comparable day in 2019. The overall numbers for March are also down 53 percent compared to the same period two years ago.
After a terrible start to 2021 in terms of bookings, Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian and several other carriers report a surge in ticket purchases for spring and summer as infection rates decline and vaccinations increase.
Airlines expect to generate "core cash instead of burning cash for March" and see a rise in passenger traffic and fares. Officials said people are booking leisure trips to beach and mountain destinations, but business travel is still lagging.
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