US air travel has exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time and at least 44 million are expected to hit the roads this weekend as the nation celebrates a return to normality over July 4 weekend.
Almost 2.15 million people passed through US airport screening checkpoints Thursday, according to the Transportation Security Administration.
This dwarfs the 58,330 recorded on the same day in 2019 and marks the second highest figure on record since COVID-19 started ravaging America, after a record 2.17 million flew four days earlier.
While Americans celebrate Independence Day and the nation's increasing independence from the virus and COVID-19 restrictions with cookouts, fireworks, concerts and beach outings, the US is now witnessing a rise in cases of the Delta variant.
More than 30 percent of adults are still not vaccinated and officials are concerned about large numbers of vaccinated and unvaccinated Americans mixing, with Joe Biden warning that 'lives will be lost' because of people who didn't get the shot.
NEWARK LIBERTY INTERNATIONAL, NEW JERSEY: Travellers wait in line for the immigration process Friday as they jet off for July 4 celebrations
DENVER INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, COLORADO: US air travel has exceeded pre-pandemic levels for the first time as the nation celebrates a return to normality over July 4 weekend
JFK AIRPORT, NEW YORK: People head off for Independence Day weekend Friday - one day after almost 2.15 million people passed through US airport screening checkpoints Thursday
More travelers are expected to take to the skies over the weekend with the American Automobile Association (AAA) forecasting 3.5 million airline passengers will be on the move between July 1 and July 5.
Road trips will prove even more popular, with the AAA expecting 43.6 million to drive.
Marking the highest level ever recorded for Independence Day, Americans are seemingly undeterred by rising gas prices which topped $3 per gallon for the first time since the autumn of 2014 this week.
In total, 47.7 million people will travel by car or plane over the weekend, 40 percent more than last year and just 2.5 percent lower than the record level set in 2019.
Hopper economist Adit Damodarn told ABC News that July 4 was the most searched for weekend on its travel booking site so far in 2021.
Popular domestic holiday spots like Las Vegas, Miami and Orlando are most popular, he said, while those heading further afield are opting for the Caribbean and Mexico.
Chicago O'Hare, LAX, and Las Vegas McCarran International Airport will be the busiest while Friday and Monday will see the heaviest flow of travelers through the nation's airports, he said.
United Airlines recorded its busiest day since the start of the pandemic on Thursday and expects to surpass this record again on July 5, reported ABC.
NEW YORK: Traffic is seen on the road Friday with road trips proving even more popular than air travel
NEW JERSEY: Cars line up at the Lincoln Tunnel as swathes of people head away for the holiday weekend. The AAA is expecting 43.6 million to drive - undeterred by rising gas prices
Overall, two million passengers are forecast to fly with the airline between Thursday and Tuesday.
Nashville is expecting as many as 400,000 people to stream into the city for its July 4 celebration featuring country star Brad Paisley.
In Massachusetts, the Boston Pops' Independence Day concert is back, but the show that usually draws hundreds of thousands to the Charles River esplanade in Boston will be held 100 miles away at the Tanglewood music center.
Beaches and lakefronts are expected to be packed as well. In Southern California, Huntington Beach is planning one of the biggest celebrations on the West Coast, a three-day festival that could bring in half a million people.
The surge in travelers has left the tourism industry struggling to cope with the sudden demand, after it was hammered by COVID-19 restrictions over the last
