TSA braces for holiday season, estimates 40 million travelers to pass through airports

ROCHESTER, N.Y. — AAA projects a record-breaking 119.3 million people will travel by air or on the roads this holiday season. This announcement came during a virtual press conference.

The projected numbers narrowly surpass a record set in 2019 with 64,000 travelers. AAA expects an additional 3 million travelers this year compared to last year.

Nearly 90% of holiday travelers, or 107 million people, will drive to their destinations, making it the most popular mode of travel.

“It is going to be a record-breaking year for travel; about 119.3 million people traveling for the year-end holidays; that is AAA’s projection this year. We’re surpassing levels that we’ve seen last year and even surpassing in many categories 2019 levels, those pre-pandemic levels,” said Elizabeth Carey, director of public relations and corporate communications for AAA.

The TSA estimates they will screen 40 million people in the coming weeks of December.

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