Memorial Day weekend: More than 9 million travelers screened at US airports, TSA says

LOS ANGELES (KABC) -- By air and on the road, several million travelers continued to make their way back to Southern California after a Memorial Day weekend that seemed marked by a semblance of normalcy following a year of pandemic restrictions.

Some 1.9 million passengers passed through U.S. airports on Monday alone, according to the Transportation Security Administration. That number brought the extended holiday travel period total to more than 9 million people screened at TSA checkpoints.

Because most itineraries were round-trip, that means the total number of travelers was estimated to be more than 4 million -- after a projection of 2.5 million.

This year's numbers were a dramatic increase over 2020, but were still lower pre-pandemic levels.

Overall, the majority of those got out of town traveled by car.

Memorial Day weekend travel sets 2021 record at LAX

Memorial Day weekend travelers have already set a new 2021 record at LAX, with more than 78,000 people passing through TSA on Friday alone, according to airport officials.

Surveillance video from a camera mounted above the 15 Freeway in Nevada showed part of a 26-mile backup as Las Vegas revelers headed back toward Southern California.