TSA's boarding numbers reveal ""no signs of the economy slowing down""

The US Transportation Security Administration (TSA) passenger volume figures for the first week of July have shown a sustained demand for air travel, with July 7 breaking records with over 3 million passengers screened in one day. It had initially anticipated the peak travel day to be June 28, with it expecting to break the 3 million mark then. However, it was just shy of the goal at 2.935 million passengers screened. It had initially broke records on June 23 with 2.99 million people being scanned by the TSA. ""We expect this summer to be our busiest ever and summer travel usually peaks over the Independence Day holiday,"" said TSA administrator David Pekoske. The TSA reports daily figures for the number of people scanning their boarding pass with a TSA agent. The daily data compiled by Apollo Asset Management, shows that 2024's boarding numbers are consistently surpassing even pre-pandemic levels on average. ""It continues to show no signs of the economy slowing down,"" said Apollo chief economist Torsten Slok. ""The travelling public is on the move, which is a sign of a healthy economy,"" commented Pekoske. While the industry still contends with the knock-on effects from the pandemic, at least the figures show that air travel demand has far surpassed its previous recovery period.