Air travel is closer to pre-pandemic levels, and airports are busy again.
2.3 million people passed through airport screenings Wednesday, the Transportation Security Administration said it had its busiest day since travel plummeted to coronavirus lows in April 2020, and was driven by pre-Thanksgiving travel.
According to the TSA database, that is more than double the number of people who went through TSA checkpoints a year ago on the day before Thanksgiving.
It's also 12 percent less than the number of travelers screened on the equivalent day in 2019, when TSA checkpoint workers saw 2.6 million people a few months before the epidemic.
The days before Thanksgiving are typically one of the busiest travel days of the year, along with the days after the holiday as people return home.
A TSA spokesman said that the TSA has hired 6,000 new officers this year and has enough staff to deal with the increase in passenger volumes.
Dankers said staffing will not slow people down this holiday season because of the fact that we are hiring.
Airlines advises passengers to arrive at airports early in case of long security lines. Delta Air Lines suggested two-plus hours early for domestic flights and three-plus hours early for international flights.