WASHINGTON — Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says people traveling for Memorial Day weekend should be patient because there will be long lines at U.S. airports.
“Individuals will see lines because there’s going to be a tremendous amount of individuals traveling this weekend,” Mayorkas stated. “Patience is required.”
“Also required are masks, the masks mandate is a federal mandate in airports and on airplanes,” he stated. “That’s going to hold true probably until mid-September.”
More than 1.8 million individuals went through U.S. airports Thursday, and the daily number was widely expected to cross 2 million at least once over the long holiday weekend, which would be the highest mark since early March 2020.
At Miami International Airport, officials expected crowds equal to pre-pandemic levels. It was a similar story in Orlando, where airport traffic has reached 90% of 2019 levels as tourists flocked to theme parks that have recently loosened restrictions.
Along the Florida coasts and around Orlando, many hotels were booked solid through the weekend.
Travel destinations like Las Vegas, Hawaii, and Myrtle beaches, South Carolina, had been among the many high locations for vacation travelers, based on AAA.
Memorial Day coincides with some states eliminating their remaining pandemic restrictions as the number of new COVID-19 infections, hospitalizations, and deaths decline.
Virginia, where President Joe Biden traveled to tout his administration’s efforts to contain the virus, is easing all distancing and capability restrictions Friday. A mask mandate in Massachusetts ends Saturday.
AAA expects a 60% jump in travel over the 2020 Memorial Day weekend, with 37 million Americans traveling at least 50 miles (80 kilometers) from home, most of them in cars. That’s despite gasoline prices being at their highest levels in seven years: The national average is above $3 a gallon for regular.
Prices for rental cars are up sharply, too — if you can find one — after companies culled their fleets to survive last yr’s deep slump in travel.
Hotels and other lodging in beach and mountain areas are expecting bigger crowds than those in cities. Lou Carrier, the president of Distinctive Hospitality Group, stated the company’s two inns in tourist towns in Connecticut have seen a jump in bookings since the state loosened its mask requirements two weeks ago, but occupancy is still only around 20% at its three hotels in Boston.
Hotel room rates nationally jumped 9% in April after an 8% rise in March, and airfares soared 10% in April, according to the latest available figures from the Commerce Department.
That’s not stopping individuals from getting on planes. The Transportation Security Administration has screened nearly 1.6 million individuals a day this month, up from 224,000 a day in May 2020 however still down one-third from the same time in 2019. TSA officials stated this week they’ve hired enough new screeners to handle the crowds.
Most of these travelers are taking vacations or visiting family and friends in the USA. Airline executives say domestic leisure travel is again to pre-pandemic levels. Delta Air Lines President Glen Hauenstein stated this week that bookings are now running ahead of the 2019 pace.
Business travelers and international visitors are still mostly absent, however, and airlines are eager to see that lucrative business return.
