Despite warnings, holiday travel sets new record as busiest weekend of pandemic

Pre-Christmas air travel surpassed 1 million daily passengers nationwide for three consecutive days this weekend – breaking the record for most weekend travelers of the pandemic and outpacing Thanksgiving numbers that assumed that title and worried health experts last month.

The 3.2 million passengers screened Friday, Saturday and Sunday mark the only time during the pandemic that more than 1 million air travelers were seen three days in a row.

The increase in air travel undercuts health officials’ guidance for Americans to stay home this holiday season.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued guidance earlier this month that discouraged travel and urged those who need to travel to acquire coronavirus tests before and after their journey.

The next two contenders for busiest travel weekends were those before and after Thanksgiving, Transportation Security Administration spokesperson Daniel Velez said in an email. Pre-Thanksgiving weekend saw 3,052,139 travelers, with the following weekend logging 2,961,120.

On Saturday, TSA spokesperson Lisa Farbstein noted the upswing in passenger volume on Twitter and shared images of TSA agents sanitizing security checkpoints, which have new touchless procedures and glass barriers between travelers and staff.

Farbstein also reminded passengers that they are permitted to bring up to 12 ounces of hand sanitizer through security – more than the standard three-ounce limit that applies to other liquids – during the pandemic.

“Until further notice, passengers may bring one container of hand sanitizer up to 12oz in carry-on bags,” the TSA said in a tweet. “Expect containers to be screened separately, which may add time to the checkpoint screening experience.”

While the numbers of people flying every day is still consistently less than half of the same numbers seen last year before the pandemic began, the influx marks a steady increase in the frequency of days in which travel volumes surpass 1 million daily passengers.

Since March, there have been a total of eight days that saw more than 1 million screenings: One occurred in October, four in November, and three have been recorded so far this month.

“Travel can increase your chance of spreading and getting COVID-19. Postponing travel and staying home is the best way to protect yourself and others from COVID-19,” the CDC said in updated guidance on Dec. 2. For those who do plan to travel, the agency recommends getting tested one to three days before the trip and three to five days afterward.

It also says to “reduce non-essential activities for a full 7 days after travel, even if your test is negative.”Those unable to acquire a test, the guidance says, should “reduce non-essential activities for 10 days after travel.”

Christmas travel numbers are likely to plummet in some other countries, such as England, where officials have imposed lockdowns and banned holiday gatherings because of a fast-spreading strain of the coronavirus.