Travelers arrive for flights at O’Hare Airport on May 25, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois.
Scott Olson | Getty Images
Memorial Day air travel surpassed pre-Covid pandemic levels, showing how consumers proceed to shell out for trips despite persistent inflation.
The Transportation Security Administration screened 9.79 million people from Friday through Monday, up barely from the vacation weekend in 2019. Friday’s screening total of greater than 2.7 million people was a post-pandemic record, the agency said.
The beginning of the height travel season is crucial for airlines as they test travelers’ appetite to proceed paying for vacations and other trips, while higher rates of interest and lofty food and housing costs weigh on household budgets.
Last 12 months, bad weather coupled with staffing shortages and other strains led to a rise in flight disruptions over the height period. Airline executives have been upbeat about their carriers’ ability to operate reliably this summer.
Relatively clear weather helped air travel over the weekend, and 16% of flights arrived late from Friday through Monday, in response to FlightAware, a flight-tracking site. Delays fell from the vacation weekend last 12 months.
