The Transportation Security Administration plans to hire hundreds of additional screeners and dozens of new canine teams to its ranks in the coming weeks to deal with what’s expected to be a record number of air travelers this summer.
TSA expects to screen more than 243 million passengers at airports around the country, up from the 239 million screened last year between Memorial Day and Labor Day. Last summer included four of the 10 busiest days in the agency’s 15-year history, but this year could see new daily records.
In an effort to handle the months-long surge, the agency has already added 600 more people to their ranks, and is expected to add another 1,000 people by next week. Officials expect that another 50 passenger screening canine teams will also be deployed to airport checkpoints.
With the start of the summer travel season less than two weeks away, security officers can expect to process 2.6 million air travel passengers nationwide each day, up from the 2.1 million daily average, according to TSA Administrator David Pekoske.
Last month, TSA reported processing 72.1 million passengers during spring break, which runs from March 15 to April 15. That’s nearly 5 percent higher than the same period last year.
A booming economy and high consumer confidence levels led to the record-high air travel this spring, according to government and industry experts.
More people who flew in 2017 said the reason for their travel was personal, not business, which reflects “both an improving economy and the increasing availability of affordable, accessible airfare options for the average American and their family,” according to Airlines 4 America, an organization that represents U.S. airline companies.
It’s not just the airline industry that has seen a bump in travelers. The U.S. Travel Association reported a 3.6 percent year-to-year growth in all U.S. travel, including trains, automobiles, and buses, as of October.
