A man receives a COVID-19 nasal swab at the Tom Bradley International Terminal at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) amid a wave of coronavirus in Southern California on December 22, 2020, Los Angeles, California. Tests are not mandatory, with results returned within 24 hours to help travelers avoid quarantine at their destinations. TSA agents examined more than 1 million people for three consecutive days last Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the beginning of the traditional holiday travel season, for the first time since the beginning of the coronavirus pandemic. (Mario Tama / Getty Images)
Air travel exceeded 1 million daily passengers in the United States throughout the weekend before Christmas, the TSA reported, breaking the record for most weekend travelers since the pandemic took over the country in March.
Although the daily figures remain less than half the number of passengers detected last year, according to The Washington Post, the 3.2 million passengers traveling on Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays exceeded the number of Thanksgiving trips and marks the only time since during the pandemic in which more than 1 million passenger planes boarded three days in a row. The number of passengers fluctuated just under 1 million on Monday and Tuesday.
Health officials have warned Americans to stay home this holiday season and keep the holidays small. The CDC also encouraged virtual gatherings for families to celebrate with those in their own households, to avoid the spread of COVID-19.
But the numbers show that many are not discouraged by the pandemic. The CDC has urged travelers to purchase COVID-19 tests before and after, but tests are not mandatory.
The death toll could reach 450,000 by February, the CDC warned earlier this month.
MORE FROM WEATHER.COM: The photos that defined 2020
A member of the Honduran Air Force hangs from a helicopter ladder while rescuing a man after the Chamelecon River overflowed after Hurricane Iota in Choloma, Cortes Department, Honduras, on November 19. 2020. The biggest storm in the Atlantic unleashed landslides, torn down buildings and left thousands homeless in Central America, revisiting areas devastated by another hurricane just two weeks ago. (Orlando Sierra / AFP via Getty Images)
The main journalistic mission of the Weather Company is to report on the latest news, the environment and the importance of science for our lives. This story does not necessarily represent the position of our parent company, IBM.