TSA touts record-breaking travel numbers this 4th of July season

HENRICO, Va. (WWBT) – TSA is reporting Friday as one of the year’s top ten busiest air travel days, with more than 3 million passengers expected to fly nationwide.

According to airport and TSA officials, there’s always a spike this time of year, but never like this.

“Of the top ten busiest days in TSA’s 22-year history, 7 of them have made it to ten in the last five weeks,” explained Lisa Farbstein with TSA.

The TSA expects to screen more than 32 million by the time the holiday travel week concludes on Monday, July 8. They said Friday, June 28, is the busiest day of that week.

“And it is possible we might break the three million mark for the very first time,” Farbstein said.

RIC officials expect to have even more record-breaking numbers as summer continues.

“Airport travel has really been taking off at RIC. May of this year was the first time we’ve ever been over 450 thousand passengers in a single month, so we hope to top that and we’ve got the whole summer ahead of us,” said Troy Bell, RIC spokesperson.

One family flying out on Friday said their process went smoothly, but they’re unsure of how the return flight will be when they come home on July 4.

“It’s booked. I was hoping for a later flight so we could see fireworks from the sky, but no planes are coming in after like 5 o’clock,” said passenger Don Rowe.

If you are flying somewhere for Independence Day – don’t bring fireworks or sparklers.

“They are not permitted on planes on either checked or carry-on bags. They are highly flammable, and of course, fireworks are explosives,” Farbstein said.

You can find more information about preparing for your flight here.

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