Pandemic-driven mask protocols, no-touch screens and virtual queues await air travelers during the holiday-weekend travel surge
U.S. airline-passenger numbers are forecast to average as many as two million a day through the Memorial Day holiday, testing the ability of airlines and airports to handle infrequent and, in some cases, unruly fliers.
While domestic air-travel numbers last Christmas were only half those in 2019, recent Transportation Security Administration counts have them now hovering around 90% of pre-pandemic levels. The TSA screened 1.9 million passengers last Sunday, a 14-month high.in March and accelerated in recent weeks, airline executives said at an industry conference this week.
“The surge in travel is just now starting to happen,” said Frontier Airlines’ chief executive, Barry Biffle. “Memorial Day is going to be big; the Fourth of July is going to be crazy.” , and now some are coming back after more than a year of staying close to home. American Airlines Group Inc., the world’s largest carrier, said a third of its passengers typically take only one trip a year.