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Airport traffic up during spring break despite continuing pandemic

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Published  March 22, 2021 11:57pm EDT
Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
FOX 5 Atlanta

Air travel up for spring break

Spring break appears to be back at Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport as more people are visible in the world's busiest airport.

ATLANTA - More than one million passengers have passed through TSA checkpoints for 11 days straight.

It is the busiest time for the nation’s airports and the busiest it has been since the start of the pandemic, a little more than a year ago.

Andrew Gobeil, the director of public relations at Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport, believes the steady passenger traffic has been spurred by spring break travelers.

"We are right in the middle of it,’ Gobeil said. "We are seeing an increase."

Spring break hits at critical time of pandemic

After a year of sticking close to home, many are wanting to get back to traveling, but the CDC is asking people to put it off just a little longer.

In Atlanta, a flight from Miami arrived at mid-afternoon on Monday. Every passenger surrounding the baggage carousel had their masks on. But it was a different scene hours ago when some of those same travelers left tourist spots on the beach in the busy Florida city.

"It’s crazy," said one returning spring breaker. "They were taking chances. I’m glad to be back."

While spring is typically a busy time, before the pandemic, the nation’s airports would see more than two million pass through during a similar peak time.

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