Traveling on Memorial Day? You could make history

CNN
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If you’re flying this weekend or taking a flight today, you’re probably making history.

Passenger traffic at U.S. airports is on pace to make this Memorial Day weekend the busiest on record, according to Transportation Security Administration screening data.

the next Record passenger data for Friday (2.951 million, No. 1 screening day in TSA history) and Thursday (2.897 million, No. 3 all-time) More than 2.4 million people passed through TSA checkpoints on each day this weekend.

Up to be Popular Memorial Day Weekend It could be a precursor to a busy summer of travel in the charts.

Five of the 10 busiest travel days in TSA’s 22-year history occurred in just the past two weeks.

“During the four-day Memorial Day weekend in 2019, approximately 9.5 million travelers were screened; In 2023, that number rises to just over 9.8 million A TSA spokesperson told CNN via email. “This year, we expect the number to rise within four days to more than 10 million.”

She added: “It is difficult to compare holidays, as some of them fall on different days of the week. However, TSA expects this summer to also be the busiest in the agency’s history.

It has been more than three years of high inflation It took its toll On the Americans Budgets, especially their mindsets. But even though people may be Feeling of pinching, Some are still willing to spend – if not lavishly – on travel and entertainment.

There is some good news on the inflation front in this regard: Airfare prices fell in April compared to March, and are actually just over 1% lower than in February 2020. Consumer Price Index data Offers.

Americans aren’t just heading to the slightly cheaper skies: AAA predicted a record 38.4 million people will take road trips over the long weekend.

Gas prices rose sharply to start the year however It has remained fairly constant in recent weeks. On Monday, the national average for a gallon of regular gasoline was $3.59, a penny higher than this time last year, according to AAA.

This story is evolving and will be updated.