DOT expects record-breaking travel for 4th of July

WASHINGTON (NEXSTAR) — The Department of Transportation anticipates a crush of travelers, as Americans head out for the Fourth of July.

“We are continuing to see a boom in demand for air travel in this country,” Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg said.

Buttigieg says TSA expects to screen three million passengers a day, heading into the weekend.

“TSA has been breaking records repeatedly in terms of how many passengers they screened,” Buttigieg said. “I would not be surprised if sometime in the coming days, we actually see another all-time record high.”

Good news so far: DOT reports the rate of flight cancellations is low, just over 1%.

“But certain areas you get severe weather like we saw over the Midwest at the early part of the week. So, we’re watching that closely too,” Buttigieg said.

Back on the ground, AAA estimates more than 60 million people will drive more than 50 miles during this holiday period.

AAA Spokesperson Andrew Gross says, that’s nearly 9% more than 2019.

“Historic recovery and travel appears to have finally taken place, but it’s taken us almost four years to get there,” Gross said. “I know it sounds like every dad in America right now, but it’s like, get moving, get going, get on the road as early as possible because you’re going to have a lot of company on the roads.”

Good news for drivers: gas prices are lower across the country compared to this time last year and AAA says prices could go down more leading up to Independence Day.