FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                                                       April 23, 2018

TSA screens more than 72 million passengers and crew during record-breaking spring travel season

Agency remains on pace for its highest volume year on record

WASHINGTON — The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) set another screening record during the 2018 spring travel period, March 15 through April 15, with more than 72 million (72,137,639) passengers and nearly 45 million (44,698,036) checked bags screened nationwide. This represents an almost five percent increase over the same period last year.

“Our officers continue to be very effective even with a record number of travelers this season,” said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. “What’s even more impressive is that TSA completed the roll-out of enhanced screening procedures while screening nearly five percent more passengers than last year, thanks to our skilled and dedicated people.” 

The enhanced screening procedures for carry-on baggage, which began at a handful of airports in late summer 2017 are a part of a greater effort to raise the baseline for aviation security. The measures require travelers to place all electronics larger than a cell phone in bins for X-ray screening in standard lanes. Travelers may also be asked to separate dense foods, powders and other items to allow screening officers to obtain a clear X-ray image for security purposes.

Although the volume of individuals screened was notably high, 95.3 percent of all passengers waited less than 20 minutes at the checkpoint and nearly 93 percent (92.5) of passengers who were in a TSA Pre✓® lane waited less than 5 minutes.

On an average travel day, TSA screens approximately 2.1 million passengers and crew. In the busiest days during the holiday travel period, TSA screened as many as 400,000 more passengers per day than usual.

TSA’s 10 highest volume airports during the spring travel season (March 15 – April 15):

Airport		Total Passengers and Crew Screened
LAX	Los Angeles International	3,684,488
JFK	John F. Kennedy International	2,856,974
ORD	Chicago-O'Hare International	2,570,336
SFO	San Francisco International	2,342,753
MCO	Orlando International	2,296,304
ATL	Hartsfield Atlanta International	2,273,176
LAS	McCarran International	2,107,528
MIA	Miami International	2,011,107
EWR	Newark International	1,997,744
DEN	Denver International	1,915,800

 

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