TSA screened fewer than 100,000 passengers Tuesday, a record low
Washington DC April 10 2020
The number of passengers and flight crews screened by the TSA fell below 100,000 Tuesday for the first time since the coronavirus crisis began, another major sign that travel demand has all but dried up.
The agency said it screened 97,130 travelers, down 95% from 2.1 million travelers on the same week day a year ago and less than half the amount of just two weeks ago. That is a record low, TSA spokeswoman Lisa Farbstein said on Twitter.
Last week: 90% fewer passengers fly than last year because of coronavirus, TSA says
How few passengers is that? An average of 220 passengers per airport across the country. The TSA screens passengers at 440 airports nationwide. It has not broken down screening figures by airport during the pandemic.
Airlines have slashed flights to minimum levels as government travel restrictions, stay-at-home orders, canceled meetings and events and traveler anxiety have sunk bookings.
TSA officers are also being hit hard by the virus themselves, with 47 testing positive for the coronavirus in the past 14 days, according to the agency. The TSA reports only cases from the past 14 days. The first case was reported in late February.
One TSA employee, a 39-year-old canine handler at Newark Liberty International Airport, died last week of coronavirus complications, the agency said last week.
The New York region has the highest concentration of current COVID-19 cases among TSA employees. According to the agency, 13 employees in the region have COVID-19, including nine at JFK International and four at LaGuardia. Four TSA employees at Louis Armstrong International in New Orleans have also tested positive in the past 14 days.
