SEATAC, Wash. — Holiday travel was on the rise at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport over the holiday weekend.
“When we got closer into the airport it was just packed,” said Marissa Cartwright of Utah.
Cartwright and her family were one of many to travel this for the Fourth of July weekend. It was their first post pandemic flight.
“I was scared of the crazy people on the plane. Everyone is just so close together and everyone is scared of the germs and what we see on the news - other people freaking out and yelling - I think I was more scared of that,” Cartwright said.
Her fears were not unfounded. The TSA last month asked passengers to remain “calm and respectful” as the FAA documents a rising rate of “unruly passengers” as the overall number of travelers climbs.
Natalie Mason-Kinsey was returning to Los Angeles after visiting family in the Seattle area.
"A little nervous, but it was fine. I think the biggest nerves were just because so many people were coming back; whether or not people were masked up like they were supposed to be; whether there were going to be any issues. And there weren't any. It was pretty smooth sailing," Kinsey said.
This July 4, nearly 1.7 million travelers passed through TSA checkpoints nationwide. That's a 56% increase from the same day last year - but it's still down 66% from a pre-pandemic Fourth of July in 2019.