US air travelers top 1.5 million for first time since March 2020

The number of US air passengers screened topped 1.5 million Sunday, March 21, for the first time since March 2020, as air travel continues to rebound from a pandemic-related drop, the US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) said Monday, March 22.

COVID-19 devastated air travel demand, with US airline passengers down 60% in 2020. But with a growing number of Americans getting vaccinated, demand and advanced bookings have started to rise in recent weeks.

TSA said it screened 1.54 million people Sunday, the highest single day since March 13, 2020, and the 11th consecutive day screening volume exceeded 1 million per day.

Screening refers to security checks on passengers entering airports.

Still, US air travel demand was down Sunday about 30% versus pre-COVID-19 levels. International and business travel demand both still remain weak.

For the last week, trade group Airlines for America said passenger demand was down 47% over pre-pandemic levels, while international travel demand was down 68%. The United States bars most non-US citizens from travel who have been in Brazil, South Africa, China, and most of Europe and many countries still restrict entry by Americans.

Last week, US airline executives cited concrete signs of a domestic leisure travel recovery in expressing optimism for demand this summer and said losses were declining.

United Airlines expects to halt its cash burn in March, chief executive officer Scott Kirby said last week, the first major carrier to say it could hit the industry’s milestone.

In January, United said an average daily core cash burn of $19 million in the 4th quarter would likely continue in the beginning of 2021. – Rappler.com