Brace Yourself: TSA Predicts Labor Day Weekend Will Be the Busiest Yet

Updated: August 27, 2025, 2:15pm CDT

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Labor Day 2025 Travel Set To Break Records
How To Get Through TSA Screening Labor Day Weekend
Final Thoughts

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If you’re planning to take to the skies this Labor Day weekend, you’re not alone — and the TSA wants you to be prepared. The agency is predicting one of the busiest travel weekends in history, with millions of passengers expected to pass through U.S. airport security checkpoints.

Here are some savvy tips to help make your Labor Day weekend trip smooth.

Labor Day 2025 Travel Set To Break Records

According to TSA forecasts, this Labor Day weekend will rival — or even surpass — previous holiday travel peaks. The agency expects record-breaking passenger volumes at airports nationwide, with a projection of 17.4 million individuals screened from August 28 to September 3. Friday, August 29, is expected to be the busiest holiday weekend day with 3 million passengers.

Travel experts say this surge is driven by families taking advantage of the long weekend, summer vacation carryovers, and a general post-pandemic travel rebound.

TSA Labor Day projections — If flying this Labor Day weekend, you’ll want to pack your patience and prepare accordingly. Image Credit: TSA

How To Get Through TSA Screening Labor Day Weekend

While TSA is prepared for the crowds, travelers can make the process much smoother by planning ahead:

TSA PreCheck: Keep your shoes on, laptops in your bag, and access expedited lanes at over 200 airports.
Known Traveler Number (KTN): Link it to your reservation to speed up your screening.
ID requirements: Make sure you have a REAL ID or another TSA-approved identification.
Packing rules: Review the TSA “What Can I Bring?” page, follow the 3-1-1 liquids rule, and ensure firearms are unloaded, in a hard-sided case, and declared to the airline.
Arrive 3 hours before your departure time to give you extra time for delays, especially if traveling internationally.

These steps don’t just make lines shorter. They can be the difference between a smooth airport experience and a missed flight.

Hot Tip:

Want to breeze through airport lines at home and abroad? Apply for Global Entry. It comes with TSA PreCheck, so you skip the long domestic security lines, and when you return from international trips, passport control is a breeze. Best of all, dozens of credit cards will reimburse your Global Entry application fee.

Final Thoughts

Labor Day travel will be busy, but it doesn’t have to be stressful. Arrive early, plan ahead, and use tools like TSA PreCheck to save time. With preparation and patience, you can breeze through security and get to your long-weekend destination faster, leaving more time to enjoy the holiday.