TSA says screenings this week passed 2019 levels in sign of economic comeback

The Transportation Security Administration this week said it scanned more people on July 1 than it did on the same day in 2019, a likely indicator of the struggling but steady economic recovery the U.S. is undergoing as the pandemic recedes.

“Our workforce screened 2,147,090 people at airport security checkpoints yesterday,” the TSA said in a Friday tweet. “This surpassed 2019 volume of 2,088,760.”

July 1 in 2019 was on a Monday, a slower day on average for air travel and potentially a partial explanation for the numbers gap. 

Yet overall travel and economic data indicate encouraging signs of economic comeback after the last year of the pandemic, though emerging crises such as inflation and rising gas prices have threatened to hamper that. 

Various airlines have reportedly been offering flight attendants and other workers bonuses and perks in order to keep them working through what is expected to be the busy 4th of July holiday.