TSA Sets New Record at Thanksgiving, Highlights Top 10 Busiest Travel Days

The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) announced Thursday the agency screened a record-breaking number of travelers during the Thanksgiving holiday.

In celebration of the achievement, the TSA compiled a list of the busiest travel days in the history of the agency, with Sunday, December 1 topping the list with 2,870,764 travelers screened.

TSA officials revealed they screened more than 26 million passengers and crew members during the holiday travel period, from November 22 to December 2. The agency claims 99.8 percent of airline travelers waited less than 30 minutes in a checkpoint line and 99.2 percent of passengers in a TSA PreCheck lane waited less than 10 minutes.

In addition, TSA officers screened more than 16 million checked bags during the 2019 Thanksgiving holiday travel period. Overall, agents screened more than a half-million more passengers per day than usual.

“TSA officers once again met the challenge to screen millions of passengers on their way to and from their holiday destinations,” TSA Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement. “I continue to be impressed by their hard work and dedication to the mission. I am also thankful for our industry partners, including the airports and airlines, who work side by side with us to ensure we were prepared not only for this holiday season but every day.”

Here is the TSA’s list of the busiest travel days in the 18-year history of the agency: