(NEWSnet/AP) – More than 3 million people passed through airport security Sunday, the first time that many passengers have been screened in one day, according to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration.

The record, which was expected to happen at some point over the July Fourth holiday week, broke the recently mark on June 23 of more than 2.99 million screened passengers. Furthermore: eight of the 10 busiest days in TSA’s history have happened in just the past couple of months.

 

TSA was created after the terror attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, and replaced a number of private security companies that were hired by airlines. The agency operates under the Department of Homeland Security, which said that agents on Sunday checked 35 passengers every second.

Travel costs including airline tickets and hotel prices have eased significantly from a year ago, and have been trending lower since the beginning of the year.

While most U.S. airlines lost money in the first quarter — traditionally the weakest time of year for travel — they were all expecting full planes for the summer.

This spring, American and Southwest said they expected solid second quarter profits. They joined Delta Air Lines and United Airlines in giving an upbeat outlook for the April-through-June period, which includes the start of peak season for carriers.

Delta reports its second-quarter earnings on Thursday, with analysts predicting sales of $15.5 billion, nearly $1 billion more than the same period a year ago. Next week, United and American issue their quarterly results, with Wall Street forecasting higher revenue from a year ago for both carriers.

More Passengers, More Complaints

 

Increasingly full planes has brought a downside for airlines: a spike in complaints.

The Transportation Department said last week that it received nearly 97,000 complaints in 2023, up from about 86,000 the year before. The department said there were so many complaints that it took until July to sort through the filings and compile the figures.

That’s the highest number of complaints about airlines since 2020, when airlines were slow to give customers refunds after the coronavirus pandemic shut down air travel. The Transportation Department said the increase in complaints was partly the result of more travelers knowing about their rights and the ability to file a complaint.

Airlines also receive complaints from travelers who don’t know how to or decide not to complain to the government, but the carriers don’t release those numbers.

Follow NEWSnet on Facebook and X platform to get our headlines in your social feeds.

Copyright 2024 NEWSnet and The Associated Press. All rights reserved.