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Summer travel is always hectic. School's out, beach destinations are flourishing, and there are plenty of holidays and seasonal travel incentives to bring the tourist crowd out in droves. Combined with a strong resurgence in the travel industry, which has experienced a "post-pandemic boom" over the past few years, each summer is busier than the last.
Obviously, savvy travelers know to get to the airport extra early if they're flying out around a summer holiday like Memorial Day or Independence Day. But planning for holiday rushes might not be enough anymore, as the TSA recently issued a strong advisory to anyone flying over the next few months.
According to @cbseveningnews , June 14 was the second busiest travel day the TSA had ever recorded. The TSA screened over 2.9 million during Friday's surprising travel rush. The top all-time busiest TSA travel day was also from this year, May 24, but that was on Memorial Day weekend. True, the 14th was technically the Friday before Father's Day , but for such a relatively minor travel holiday to eclipse the Memorial Day rush as it did was unprecedented.
Related: TSA Confirms the Scary Truth About People Bypassing Airport Security
With a whopping seven out of the TSA's top 10 busiest days reportedly occurring within the past month, the TSA is anticipating the busiest summer travel season on record- and that's going to translate to a lot of long airport security lines over the next few months. In fact, yet another date from this past weekend made it into the Top 10!
"Sunday, June 16th, was the 9th busiest day ever for TSA - officers screened 2.85M individuals," the TSA wrote on X/Twitter. "Over the last 30 days, we've seen a number of days break into the top 10. Please continue to arrive early, start packing with an empty bag, be patient, and follow officer instructions."
When To Show Up at the Airport
You never want to play fast and loose with timing at the airport, but especially not now, when the TSA expects intense seasonal airport traffic and security lines. Showing up extra early can make the difference between getting through the line with time to spare and missing your flight.
As for when you should show up at the airport, the usual recommendation is to arrive at least two hours before a domestic flight or three hours before an international flight . In light of a recent online air travel controversy , I personally recommend showing up 2-3 hours before your boarding time, not your departure time. Even if you make it to your gate 15 minutes before departure, the boarding doors will likely already be closed!
That general "2-3 hours" guideline is variable, but I would always budget for more time, not less, and don't forget to check estimated security wait times at your airport before heading out. If those wait times are already running long, if it's a holiday weekend, or if you anticipate other variables that could slow things down either en route or at the airport, I'd personally advise giving yourself as much extra time as possible. Better safe than sorry!
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