RDU anticipates busiest travel day of the holiday season as COVID-19 cases rise

Across the country, AAA predicts that 6.4 million people will travel by air between Dec. 23 and Jan. 2 — a huge increase from last year, where only 2.3 million people traveled by air during that period. The TSA reported more people passed through security on Dec. 22, 2021, than on that same day in 2020 or 2019.

Christmas is going to cost more this year for Americans across the board. Food and retail prices have soared due to inflation and supply chain issues triggered by the pandemic. Plane ticket prices for Christmas week are slightly higher this year than last, with the average lowest round-trip fare being $154 for major U.S. destinations, according to an AAA report. On top of that, both rental car prices and hotels are expected to be much higher than last year.

North Carolina – and most of the country – is seeing an uptick of coronavirus cases. Nearly 4,990 new people were diagnosed with coronavirus in North Carolina on Wednesday. That's a 70% increase from the day before.

Health experts say the recent spread of COVID-19 is mostly due to pockets of unvaccinated people who are spreading the coronavirus.

The biggest risk for travelers will be in between flights. Crowded airport restaurants and restrooms could increase one's risk of contracting the virus. To stay safe, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends that travelers frequently wash their hands and wear an N95 face covering.

As a result of the Federal Aviation Administration requiring masks on flights, more people have become disruptive on flights. The FAA reports that it has gotten 5,779 complaints of unruly behavior in 2021. Of those, 4,156 are related to mask rules.

Federal officials released a statement Tuesday declaring that travelers who cause difficulties can lose their TSA PreCheck status.

According to the TSA, more than 10 million American citizens and permanent residents have TSA PreCheck. The program allows vetted travelers to bypass certain security measures, like taking off shoes and removing laptops and other small electronics from cases, at U.S. airports.

"Our partnership aims to promote safe and responsible passenger behavior," FAA Administrator Steve Dickson said in the announcement, which was released on December 21, ahead of the busy Christmas and New Year's travel season.

He added: "If you act out of line, you will wait in line."

So far in 2021, air travel passengers in the United States have racked up hundreds of thousands of dollars in such fines, with the single highest – $40,823 – levied against a passenger who brought their own alcohol on board, attempted to smoke marijuana in the plane bathroom and sexually assaulted a flight attendant.