The TSA screened more than 2 million flyers for the first time since March 2020
More than 2 million passengers passed through airport security checkpoints on Friday, marking a new milestone as the U.S. travel industry continues to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said it screened 2,028,961 travelers, the highest number since Sunday, March 8, when 2,119,867 passed through checkpoints at U.S. airports.
"The growing number of travelers demonstrates this country's resilience and the high level of confidence in COVID-19 countermeasures, to include ready access to vaccines," Darby LaJoye, the acting head of the TSA, said in a statement.
The milestone was largely expected to come at either end of the typically busy Memorial Day weekend travel period, the first major holiday weekend since the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) issued guidance saying that vaccinated Americans could safely remove masks and socialize in indoor and outdoor settings (although masks are still required when taking public transportation, including commercial flights). The CDC had previously said that vaccinated Americans could travel domestically "at low risk" to themselves.
However, passenger numbers fell just shy of the 2 million mark, with the TSA reporting 1.96 million travelers on March 28, the Friday of the holiday weekend, and 1.9 million that Monday.
Domestic travel demand has largely recovered to 2019 levels, driven heavily by quarantine-weary vacationers and travelers visiting friends and relatives.
More: Busy summer? TSA says it needs 6,000 new officers to meet skyrocketing travel demand
Although business travel and long-haul international remain depressed, airline executives have said that there are signs of business travel beginning to resume, and several European countries have reopened to vaccinated travelers, including Italy and Spain, leading to a surge in bookings.
It is not clear whether the daily number of travelers can stay above 2 million without business and international travel. For comparison, 2019 saw normal volumes of 2.1 million through nearly 2.7 million on an average day. Friday's passenger numbers were 26% below the same day in 2019.
However, the milestone suggests that the travel resurgence is, in fact, underway, and a busy summer travel season lies ahead.
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Annual Fee
Recommended Credit
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Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
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- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month
Rewards Rate
| 2X miles | 2 miles per dollar on every purchase |
| 5X miles | 5 miles per dollar on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel |
| 10X miles | 10 miles per dollar on hotels and rental cars booked through Capital One Business Travel |
Intro Offer
Earn 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200K miles when you spend $150K in the first 6 monthsLIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus milesAnnual Fee
$395Recommended Credit
Credit ranges are a variation of FICO® Score 8, one of many types of credit scores lenders may use when considering your credit card application.740-850Excellent
Why We Chose It
The Capital One Venture X Business Card has all the Capital One Venture X Rewards Credit Card has to offer and more. It offers an incredible welcome bonus and requires an equally impressive spend to qualify. In addition, the card comes with premium travel perks like annual travel credit. (Partner offer)Pros
- The Capital One Venture X business card has a very lucrative welcome offer.
- In addition, the card comes with many premium travel perks such as an annual $300 credit for bookings through Capital One Business Travel.
- Business owners are also able to add employee cards for free.
Cons
- The card requires significant spending to earn the welcome offer.
- Another drawback is that the annual travel credit can only be used on bookings made through Capital One Business Travel.
- LIMITED-TIME OFFER: Earn up to 400K bonus miles: 200K miles when you spend $30K in the first 3 months, and an additional 200k miles when you spend $150k in the first 6 months
- Earn unlimited 2X miles on every purchase, everywhere—with no limits or category restrictions
- Earn 10X miles on hotels and rental cars and 5X miles on flights and vacation rentals booked through Capital One Business Travel
- With no preset spending limit, enjoy big purchasing power that adapts so you can spend more and earn more rewards
- Empower your teams to make business purchases while earning rewards on their transactions, with free employee and virtual cards. Plus, automatically sync your transaction data with your accounting software and pay your vendors with ease
- Redeem your miles on flights, hotels and more. Plus, transfer your miles to any of the 15+ travel loyalty programs
- Every year, you'll get 10,000 bonus miles after your account anniversary date. Plus, receive an annual $300 credit for bookings made through Capital One Business Travel
- Receive up to a $120 credit for Global Entry or TSA PreCheck®. Enjoy access to 1,300+ airport lounges worldwide, including Capital One Lounge locations and Priority Pass™ lounges, after enrollment
- Enjoy a $100 experience credit and other premium benefits with every hotel and vacation rental booked from the Premier Collection
- This is a pay-in-full card, so your balance is due in full every month