As 1.6 million travel in single day, U.S. airlines hopeful for summer

WASHINGTON D.C.: Some 1.6 million passengers passed through U.S. airports on May 6, the largest number since March 2020.

According to the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA), air travel remains about 35 percent lower than on the same date in 2019, down nearly 1 million travellers per day.

Meanwhile, TSA reported that the May 6 figure saw a 17,000 passenger increase over days earlier.

Of note, in May 2020 only 190,000 people were screened at U.S. airports.

In an announcement in April, United Airlines said it was adding more than 480 daily flights to its U.S. schedule in June in anticipation of heightened summer travel demand.

Also, American Airlines announced that it expects to fly more than 90 percent of its domestic seat capacity compared with summer 2019, and 80 percent of its international seat capacity compared with 2019.