Last Week Was the Busiest Ever for the TSA

The week of June 24 to June 30, 2018, was the single busiest week ever for the Transportation Security Administration, the agency says.

That record-breaking week was part of a three-week period stretching through June that was the busiest 21 days in the TSA’s history. On June 29, the Friday before Fourth of July, the TSA had its second busiest day ever — during which it screened 2.67 million flyers across US airports.

Although the security agency was predicting the number of summer travelers to peak during the Fourth of July holiday, passengers can still expect a crush of people at airport security throughout the rest of the summer, particularly during the Labor Day holiday. Both the Friday before Memorial Day and the Friday before Independence Day were in the TSA’s top ten busiest days on record, so it’s a safe bet the Friday before Labor Day will likely mean a massive wave of passengers, too. TSA expects to screen 243 million people between Memorial Day and Labor Day 2018.

Don’t forget to get to the airport early to deal with the snaking lines. This summer, the TSA is advising passengers to arrive at the airport at least 90 minutes to two hours before your flight’s scheduled to takeoff. And plan to arrive up to three hours before an international flight.

To speed along your time in the security line, brush up on the latest TSA regulations on snacks in carry-on bags and the agency’s new policy on powders.