May 25 (UPI) — The U.S. Transportation Security Administration screened a record number of passengers during a single day leading up to the Memorial Day long weekend.
Officers screened 2,951,163 people at checkpoints across the United States on Friday, the TSA said in a post on X, the most in the agency’s 22-year history.
That figure surpassed the previous record, set on the final day of the 2023 Thanksgiving weekend. Screeners checked 2,907,378 travelers on that day.
BREAKING NEWS: TSA Officers have set a new record for most travelers screened in a single day! On Friday, May 24, 2,951,163 individuals were screened at checkpoints nationwide, surpassing the previous record on Nov. 26, 2023. We recommend arriving early. Have travel questions?… pic.twitter.com/lyBgTEPLHZ— TSA (@TSA) May 25, 2024
“If you flew yesterday, congratulations, you were part of a record-setting day!” TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein said on X.
Several individual airports also set single-day records for passenger traffic.
Richmond International Airport screened a record 9,857 passengers Thursday, eclipsing the previous record by 146 people, the TSA said in a statement.
“Holiday travel periods are always somewhat hectic, but our officers remain focused on their mission and they continue to do so in an efficient and courteous manner to ensure that travelers get to their destinations safely,” the airport’s TSA’s Federal Security Director Robin “Chuck” Burke said in the statement.
“The most important things that travelers can do is to get to the airport early and come prepared to go through the checkpoint screening process.”
The busy travel day was not without its pitfalls.
TSA officers at the Pittsburgh International Airport intercepted the fifth gun so far this month during screening Thursday, relieving a Texas man of his 9mm handgun.
The weapon was the 16th firearm TSA officers have discovered at the airport this year.
“Yesterday was the second busiest day in TSA history in terms of the high volume of individuals who were screened at our checkpoints nationwide,” the airport’s TSA Federal Security Director Karen Keys-Turner said in a statement.
“It’s the Memorial Day weekend travel period and this is no time to be caught with an illegal or prohibited item among your carry-on items,” Keys-Turner said. “It slows down the line and this is a very busy place. Nobody wants to wait in a checkpoint line because someone with a gun was careless and brought his gun with him.”