Over 3 Million Travelers Screened at US Airports in Just One Day — A New Record!

Travelers returning home after the Thanksgiving holiday broke a record on Sunday, with airport officials screening over 3 million individuals.

The Transportation Security Administration reported on Monday that it processed 3.09 million travelers on Sunday, surpassing the previous record by approximately 74,000. This prior record was established on July 7, also a Sunday following a holiday.

Hundreds of thousands faced delays or cancellations. Airlines canceled around 120 flights within the U.S.—a figure that isn’t particularly high—and over 6,800 flights experienced delays, as per FlightAware. The majority of delayed flights occurred at Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport and Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport.

Monday was also forecasted to be busy, with roughly 80 canceled flights and more than 2,000 delays reported by midday.

Amtrak service between Philadelphia and New York was temporarily suspended on Monday due to damage to overhead electrical wires.

Moreover, some travelers attempting to drive home encountered road delays.

Traffic at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport was at a standstill on Sunday evening, leading the airport to use social media to instruct motorists to avoid one of the two main access roads. Some travelers reported on X that they missed their flights due to the traffic congestion.

A spokesperson for DFW Airport linked the congestion to “the high volume of holiday traffic condensed into a short timeframe.” She mentioned that additional police officers were deployed to facilitate the flow of traffic.

The TSA had anticipated a 6 percent increase in air travel during Thanksgiving week compared to the same period last year, continuing the trend of record travel in 2024.