U.S. air travelers surpass 1.5 million for first time in a year

U.S. air passengers hit above 1.5 million on Sunday, its first time since March 2020, according to the data released by the U.S. Transportation Security Administration (TSA).

After being down by as much as 60% in 2020, U.S. air travel is starting to rebound from the pandemic drag as it reached its pre-pandemic levels on Sunday. The spike in airlines passenger could be attributed to the growing number of vaccinated Americans.

Based on the TSA report, a total of 1.54 million people were screened on Sunday, reaching its highest single day record since March 13, 2020. It also posted its eleventh consecutive day screening volume topping 1 million in a day.

U.S. air travel remains trailing around 30% versus its pre-pandemic levels. Moreover, international and business travel demand are still down.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby, said in a statement that the firm is looking to put an end to its cash burn in March. United Airlines said an average daily core cash burn of $19 million in the fourth quarter would likely continue at the beginning of 2021.