United States: TSA Busier than 'Usual', Even if a Shadow of 2019 Levels

(19 October 2020)  Yesterday the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) screened more than one million passengers through domestic security checkpoints for the first time since mid-March when the COVID-19 crisis paralyzed air travel. With the exception of the US Labor Day weekend (4-7 September) October is the only month since mid-March with repeat days of 900,000+ travelers screened, totaling more than 15.1 million passengers month-to-date, compared to 21.5 million for the entire prior month.

• The airline industry is of course struggling across the board compared to 2019 when October passenger throughput at TSA checkpoints would often surpass 2.5 million per day.
• Restrictions on international travel have also translated into foreign passengers making up a smaller share of travelers screened through US domestic checkpoints. The share of passengers cleared through TSA checkpoints in July 2020 that were domestic climbed by more than 16 percentage points compared to the level reported for July 2019.