Monday, May 27, 2024 Travelers flocking to airports over the weekend shattered previous records ahead of the Memorial Day holiday. The Transportation Security Administration reported screening nearly 3 million passengers on Friday, marking the highest single-day total in history. This summer, over 270 million passengers are anticipated to travel on U.
S. airlines, reflecting a 6% increase from last year. Following the holiday, the Federal Aviation Administration forecasts this Memorial Day weekend will be the busiest in 14 years.
Road travelers are also expected to set new records. According to AAA, more than 38 million people will have traveled by car over the long weekend, the highest number since tracking began in 2000. Hertz highlights the cities with the highest rental car demand as Orlando, Denver, Atlanta, Boston, and Las Vegas.
Conversely, severe storms across multiple states over the weekend disrupted travel in some regions. Parts of Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas experienced extensive damage due to tornadoes, downed trees, and destroyed buildings, resulting in at least 20 fatalities. The storms caused flight delays and cancellations, and storm-hit roads faced blockages.
By 8:30 a.m. on Monday, over 1,000 flights had been delayed and nearly 130 canceled within, into, or out of the U.
S. for the Memorial Day holiday..