TSA says Labor Day travel surpassed pre-pandemic levels

More than 8.7 million people were screened at U.S. airports over the Labor Day weekend, according to the Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

That is about 500,000 more people than in 2019, prior to the pandemic.

The TSA says this was the first holiday weekend that exceeded screening volume from 2019.

“TSA’s highly trained and dedicated workforce facilitated secure travel for millions of passengers during the busy summer travel season with very little disruptions at the checkpoint,” said TSA Acting Administrator David Pekoske.

Getting through airport security wasn’t smooth for everyone. The TSA says it intercepted 67 firearms.

“On average, TSA stopped 17.3 firearms each day at checkpoints since the beginning of the year,” the agency stated.

At the current pace, TSA says it will eclipse the full-year record of intercepted firearms. It was set in 2021 when nearly 6,000 firearms were intercepted at checkpoints.