Hundreds of Thousands of Americans Still Flying Every Day Despite COVID-19


The latest data released by the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) shows a significant fall in passengers using flights in the U.S. since President Donald Trump declared a national emergency over coronavirus on March 13—but also that hundreds of thousands of people are still flying.

a group of people standing next to luggage: This file photo shows travelers at the international terminal of the O'Hare Airport in Chicago, Illinois, on March 15, 2020.

Daily passenger numbers collated by the TSA show that the number of travelers dropped by more than 80 percent—in excess of 1.3 million people—between March 13, when the emergency was declared, and March 23.

The numbers are striking when compared with the same dates last year. From March 13 to March 23 this year, the number of fliers is 63 percent lower than in the same period in 2019.

On every day but one since March 13, the number of airborne travelers has decreased—in some cases by as much as 275,000 people day-on-day. The daily number of travelers has not risen above 2 million since March 8, while last year the number did not fall below 2 million on any March day detailed in the available TSA figures.


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