By Thomas Catenacci
More than 400,000 Americans boarded flights Friday and Sunday marking the first time since March that number has been surpassed, the Transportation Security Administration said Monday.
A total of 441,255 people traveled in the air Sunday while 419,675 people traveled Friday, according to the TSA. Sunday’s number of fliers marks the highest number of air travelers since March 22.
The air travel milestone comes as states continue to open up following the coronavirus pandemic. States around the country began imposing stay-at-home orders in March. State restriction wreaked havoc on the U.S. and global economies.
Despite the good news for air travel, TSA’s figures still suggest there is a long way to go. On the same Sunday in June 2019, there were 2.6 million air travelers, according to TSA. That’s an 83% decrease in air traffic year-over-year.
For comparison, the week of June 1, 2020 averaged 361,610 air travelers per day compared to 2,469,449 per day the same week in 2019. The week of May 25 averaged 305,358 air travelers per day compared to 2,423,438 per day the same week in 2019. The week of May 18 averaged 264,683 air travelers per day compared to 2,437,484 per day the same week last year.
The U.S. unexpectedly added 2.5 million jobs in May while the unemployment rate decreased, and the U.S. stock market rallied on the back of this news Friday.
President Donald Trump declared victory, saying Friday’s jobs report showed that the economy was returning to normal.
The stock market continued its rally Monday. In response Trump tweeted, “Jobs coming back FAST. Next year will be our greatest ever!”
Meanwhile, 400,000 New Yorkers were expected to return to work Monday as New York City began reopening.
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