Elevated travel volumes have been the norm for several weeks at Chicago’s airports, but passengers this past weekend set a record.
On Sunday, June 22, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) broke the record for most people screened on a single day at Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), screening just shy of 114,000 individuals.
The record-breaking numbers were felt around the country, as Sunday was also the busiest day nationwide in TSA’s history. Officers screened nearly 3.1 million individuals.
“On our busiest days, our officers remain laser-focused on delivering a safe and efficient screening experience to all passengers traveling through our airports,” TSA Illinois Federal Security Director Jim Spriggs said. “We appreciate those who arrive at the checkpoint prepared with REAL ID or another acceptable form of ID, and with no prohibited items in their carry-on bags.”
TSA is staffed and ready to screen more than 18.5 million travelers at the nation’s airport security checkpoints during the upcoming Fourth of July holiday. This year’s projection includes Tuesday, July 1, through Monday, July 7, with the highest passenger volume – approximately 2.9 million – expected on Sunday, July 6.
ORD’s second busiest day ever was Thursday, June 19, 2025, when more than 111,000 individuals were screened. Before these recent record-setting days, the previous record for ORD was July 19, 2019, which is now No. 3 on ORD’s top 10 list.
Seven of ORD’s top 10 highest volume days have occurred in the past five weeks.
The original announcement can be found here.
