U.S. Airports Prepare to Screen Record 18 Million Travelers Over July Fourth Week

NPR reported that the Transportation Security Administration is preparing to screen more than 18 million travelers at U.S. airports over the week beginning July 1, 2026. U.S. airlines are carrying more passengers than ever while operating fewer flights than they did 20 years ago, flying bigger planes with more seats filled.

Nashville International Airport illustrates the pattern. The number of passengers departing from the airport more than doubled between 2015 and 2025, according to Department of Transportation data. The facility recorded its highest passenger total last year and will open a new lobby next year.

Shirley Beldsoe, who has flown through Nashville since the 1970s when the airport had a single terminal, said the airport itself is now beautiful. She added that airplane aisles feel more crowded and legroom has tightened. Industry leaders identify the air traffic control system as the central constraint.

Chris Sununu, head of Airlines For America, told a Capitol Hill hearing last week that the short-staffed and antiquated system poses the biggest threat to a healthy airline industry. He urged Congress to provide funding beyond the $12.5 billion appropriated last year. As of September the FAA had only 27 fully certified controllers at the Nashville tower against a target of 52.

Last week the FAA awarded an $875 million contract for AI-enhanced software to coordinate flights nationwide. FAA Administrator Bryan Bedford said at an industry conference in May that replacing 1970s-1990s equipment with digital technology will leave deeper inefficiencies unchanged.

Polly Trottenberg, who served as deputy transportation secretary during the Biden administration, called the $12.5 billion a good down payment but insufficient for a system underinvested for a decade and a half.