A Transportation Security Administration (TSA) agent wears a protective mask and stands behind a protective barrier while examining a traveler at Ronald Reagan National Airport (DCA) in Arlington, Virginia, USA, on Tuesday, June 9, 2020.
Andrew Harrer | Bloomberg | Getty Images
TSA officials examined 1,357,111 people at airports on Friday, marking the largest number of passengers in a single day since March 15, 2020.
The milestone reflects that air travel is starting to recover after a challenging year for airlines, caused by the Covid-19 pandemic.
Air travel in the United States reached a low point on April 14, 2020, with only 87,500 passengers passing through TSA control points. Trips for 2020 fell more than 60% compared to the previous year, for 324 million passengers, according to TSA. TSA screens passengers at 440 US airports
The reduction in travel has hit airlines hard. American airlines lost more than $ 35 billion together last year due to low passenger traffic. Airlines were forced to cut flights, block seats and implement security measures in response to the pandemic.
Airlines expect a revival of travel in the coming months, with new cases of Covid-19 falling across much of the country and more people being vaccinated. Thirteen percent of American adults were fully vaccinated by Friday.
Passengers on Friday were still 20% less than the number of passengers on the same day last year, and almost 38% compared to 2019.