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Here’s what it’s like to fly on the busiest travel day of the year (so far)

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Here’s what it’s like to fly on the busiest travel day of the year (so far)

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  • The FAA said Thursday was the busiest travel day of the year so far.
  • The Transportation Security Administration said that although Thursday had the most flights scheduled, it was anticipating higher passenger volumes through its checkpoints on Friday.
  • Weather across the country has caused disruptions as many Americans prepare to travel for Independence Day.

UP IN THE AIR — Flying on what the Federal Aviation Administration said was the busiest travel day of the year wasn’t so bad.

According to the FAA, 53,677 flights were scheduled for Thursday – the most of any day so far in 2024.

Pulling up to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport on Tuesday, my Lyft driver warned me that the departures area was backed up and asked if I’d be OK with getting dropped off on the arrivals level instead.

Once inside the airport, the security line was longer than expected, but still didn’t take much longer than it should have. 

The Transportation Security Administration said that although Thursday had the most flights scheduled, it was anticipating higher passenger volumes through its checkpoints on Friday. 

“The peak travel day will be Friday, June 28, when the agency expects to screen more than 3 million individuals,” a statement from the agency said. “TSA is staffed to meet its wait time standards, which are 10 minutes and under in TSA PreCheck lanes and 30 minutes and under in standard screening lanes. Seven of the top 10 busiest travel days ever have occurred over the past month.”

Since its founding, the TSA has yet to screen 3 million or more passengers in a single day across the nation’s airports.

A week of delays

Weather across the country has caused disruptions as many Americans prepare to travel for Independence Day. According to FlightAware, hundreds of flights have been canceled and more than 8,000 flights have been delayed every day so far this week. 

The Department of Transportation’s interactive dashboard shows what each airline owes travelers for both cancellations and delays. Some airlines may offer additional flexibility beyond what is listed on the dashboard.

Flight prices this summer

For most flyers, domestic travel has been a relatively good deal this summer, but for those looking to book a last-minute July 4 trip, prices could give some serious sticker shock.

Nevertheless, there are strategies for finding the best possible deals at the last minute, including being more flexible with your travel dates and the airports you fly through or playing a game of chicken with booking. 

Zach Wichter is a travel reporter for USA TODAY based in New York. You can reach him at zwichter@usatoday.com.

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