New Air Travel Records Emerge with 2.8 Million Travelers Taking to the Skies this Holiday Weekend
With each holiday that passes by, everyone eagerly waits to hear if one of these busy airport days has broken yet another air travel record for 2023.
Several records have been broken throughout 2023 as the air travel industry completely recovered from past pandemic statistics. June 30th was the first day this year to break the record for the “Busiest Day in U.S. Air Travel History” with 2.8 million people taking to the skies. As a popular holiday for air travel, the Sunday after Thanksgiving stole the crown for the busiest single travel day when TSA screened 2.9 million passengers on November 26th.
While it didn’t take the crown for the busiest travel day, this Christmas season has broken a few of its own records when being compared to 2022. The highest number of passengers screened for this Christmas weekend was December 22nd at 2,775,193 travelers passing through U.S. airports while last December 22nd only screened 2 million passengers. Additionally, nearly every day in December leading up to Christmas Eve screened at least 2 million travelers.
Looking ahead, TSA expects December 29th and January 1st to be incredibly busy days with the possibility of breaking records as well. Will December 29th be able to break the record for single day traffic before 2023 comes to an end? Stay tuned to find out!
As we wrap up 2023 and look ahead to 2024, this year has been a remarkable milestone for the air travel industry. Airlines and airports have been buzzing with excitement as they prepare for record-breaking travel days, increased passenger traffic, more flights and routes, and increased fleets to accommodate all of this incredible growth. Major airlines like United, Delta, and American Airlines have all increased their salaries this year, most by 40%. Southwest Airlines is expected to finalize a long-awaited new deal with their pilots where salaries will equal that of Delta, United, and American.
In addition to rising salaries, these airlines have also expanded their fleet as they open their schedules to more flights. Alaska Airlines, of Alaska Air Group, recently acquired Hawaiian Airlines. If this deal is successful, their fleet will have expanded exponentially, creating more opportunities for these airlines – establishing more routes and destinations to and from Hawaii.
In terms of hiring, United Airlines is expected to break their own hiring record for this year and exceed hiring expectations for 2023 overall as they welcome 2,300+ pilots to the airline. As their fleet continues to expand in 2024, they will require thousands more pilots to fly these new planes.
With all of this growth comes the need for more pilots. As the pilot demand grows and the pilot shortage remains, aspiring pilots have a unique opportunity to take advantage of this New Year.
Now is the perfect time to pursue your pilot dreams and establish a successful career filled with rewarding salaries, generous benefits, incredible retirement packages, and improved schedules – all creating a lifetime of excitement and adventure. AeroGuard Flight Training Center is prepared to help you achieve these goals. We offer multiple career-focused programs designed to get you to the airlines at an accelerated rate. Contact an Enrollment Advisor today or visit our Programs Page to learn more and begin your career today!