Photo: Getty Images
The TSA is anticipating December 22nd, and 23rd to be the busiest pre-holiday dates for travel.
As for post-holiday travel, the busiest dates are predicted to be January second and third. Travelers are being told to prepare for COVID-19 regulations, to pack smart and to check the TSA website for tips on packing gifts and baked goods. “The underlying message for travelers is to arrive early and prepared,” TSA spokesperson Lorie Dankers tells Nexstar. To avoid unnecessary delays, the TSA is urging passengers to be mindful of the current COVID-19 health and safety protocol, including a requirement for all travelers to wear masks at TSA checkpoints. Travelers are also advised to refrain from packing prohibited items or overstuffing luggage, know how to travel with holiday food and drink, pack unwrapped gifts in gift bags to prevent the risk of TSA officers having to unwrap presents during screening and download the MyTSA app for security information and live support.
These projections follow more than 2 million people who were screened at US airports December 16, 17 and 18, according to checkpoint data from the Transportation Security Administration. Those numbers are nearly double what they were a year ago but fall short of the pre-pandemic 2019 figures, the data shows.