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Sept. 6 (UPI) -- Labor Day weekend saw a surge in air travel that eclipsed 2019 levels for the first time, the Transportation Security Administration announced Tuesday. Between Friday and Monday, the agency screened 8.76 million passengers, eclipsing the 8.62 million that were screened over Labor Day weekend in 2019. The increase marks the first time that airlines have exceeded 2019 travel volume since the COVID-19 pandemic.
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Just 0.6% of 90,000 flights were canceled by U.S. airlines, while 16% were delayed, CNBC News reported. Both of those numbers are below this summer's average.
Additionally, the TSA seized 67 firearms from passengers, who attempted to travel with them. The agency is on pace to eclipse the record 5,972 firearms seized in 2021.
"TSA's highly trained and dedicated workforce facilitated secure travel for millions of passengers during the busy summer travel season with very little disruptions at the checkpoint," TSA Acting Administrator David Pekoske said in a statement. "We were also able to continue the deployment of new technologies that facilitate stronger identity verification procedures and enhanced security screening for carry-on bags."
The weekend travel high caps a rocky summer season that saw hundreds of flights canceled amid staffing shortages and severe weather. The summer season started with thousands of passengers stranded by flight cancellations and delays during the Memorial Day weekend in May.
About 55,000 flights were canceled during the summer season, compared with about 50,000 during the same time in 2019, CNN reported.
