Presidents Day Weekend Sees Rise in Air Travel Numbers

Despite yet another holiday warning by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) asking Americans not to travel, fliers flocked to airports all over the country for what was actually a double holiday weekend.

According to a report that aired this afternoon on CNN, nearly 4 million passengers went through Transportation Security Administration (TSA) checkpoints at U.S. airports for the four-day period between Thursday, February 11 and Sunday, February 14.

Sunday was Valentine’s Day; today is Presidents’ Day. That accounted for the thinking behind much of the travel as many travelers likely combined a little love and the federal holiday with a long weekend.

Monday’s numbers were not released as of this afternoon but on Thursday, February 11, 1,034,514 passengers went through a TSA screening checkpoint. On Friday the 12th, it was 1,151,420 passengers. On Saturday, February 13th, 900,696 fliers were screened and on Sunday the 14th CNN said it was more than 900,000.

All totaled, that’s nearly 4 million fliers, the best set of days since the New Year’s holiday saw more than 3 million passengers between Jan. 2-4.

The next big bellwether days will likely come in March when colleges and high schools traditionally take their spring breaks and many students head to warmer locales. That might be challenged this year, however, less by the CDC travel warnings – which aren’t exactly adhered to – and more by college schedules. Many universities began the spring semester late and are holding classes through the time that normally would have been used for spring break in an effort to keep students on campus instead of traveling, where they could pick up the virus and bring it back to school.