Travelers arrive for flights at O’Hare Airport on May 25, 2023 in Chicago, Illinois.
Scott Olson | Getty Images

Memorial Day air travel surpassed pre-pandemic levels, showing how consumers continue to shell out for trips despite persistent inflation.

The Transportation Security Administration screened 9.79 million people from Friday through Monday, up slightly from the holiday weekend in 2019. Friday’s screening total of more than 2.7 million people was a post-pandemic record, the agency said.

The start of the peak travel season is crucial for airlines as they test travelers’ appetite to continue paying for vacations and other trips while higher interest rates and lofty food and housing costs weigh on household budgets.

Last year, bad weather coupled with staffing shortages and other strains led to an increase in flight disruptions over the peak period. Airline executives have been upbeat about their carriers’ ability to operate reliably this summer.

Relatively clear weather helped air travel over the weekend, and 16% of flights arrived late from Friday through Monday, according to FlightAware, a flight-tracking site. Delays fell from the holiday weekend last year.

You May Also Like
Frontier plans new flights from JFK to Miami, Los Angeles and Dallas

Frontier plans new flights from JFK to Miami, Los Angeles and Dallas

Frontier Airlines Nurphoto | Nurphoto | Getty Images Discount carrier Frontier Airlines…
Crypto market to double in size to  trillion in 2024

Crypto market to double in size to $5 trillion in 2024

Brad Garlinghouse, CEO of Ripple, speaks at the 2022 Milken Institute Global…

Netflix password-sharing crackdown rolls out in the U.S.

Netflix sign-in page displayed on a laptop screen and Netflix logo displayed…
NBA TV rights deal hinges on Warner Bros. Discovery

NBA TV rights deal hinges on Warner Bros. Discovery

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver speaks to the media during a press conference…