Flight travel over the holiday weekend Fourth of July surged to new highs in the pandemic era.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it was examining more than 700,000 people on each of the three days this weekend – the first time above 700,000 since mid-March.
Nearly 2.7 million people played during the four-day period from Thursday to Sunday is about 28% of the 9.4 million people seen over the equivalent weekend last year.
The agency has also reported more than 960 cases of coronavirus among its workforce, including six deaths.
The weekend was the first since April when American Airlines began selling flights to full capacity.
United Airlines has also sold flights of up to capacity. Both airlines said they warned passengers that flights could be full and would allow passengers to order back at no cost to less-full flights.
American said on Saturday that it was the three busiest days since the pandemic struck was the first three days of July.
While airlines record travel volumes are still far below sustainable levels, they have been preparing for growth from lows in mid-April.
Data from Airlines for America, which represents the main US carrier, shows the airline had moved 800 aircraft that were stored during the pandemic on Sunday. Thirty-nine percent of the US fleet is stopped now, according to the group.
US airlines only operate 46% of their usual capacity, according to the group.
