Air travel has reached its highest levels since the COVID-19 pandemic ravaged the United States, a sign that growing vaccination rates and a slight economic upturn are fueling a desire to travel in pent-up Americans, but are still a ways to go from pre-pandemic highs.

What You Need To Know

  • The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 1.3 million people both Friday and Sunday, setting a new pandemic high

  • Domestic air travel is still 45% below its 2019 levels

  • Airlines say their bookings have increased in recent weeks, a sign that growing vaccination rates and a slight economic upturn are fueling a desire to travel

  • Airline stocks rose on the news

The Transportation Security Administration screened more than 1.3 million people both Friday and Sunday, setting a new pandemic high, though domestic air travel is still 45% below its 2019 levels, which shows that the airline industry still has a long way to go to make up for lost ground.

Sunday's figure of 1.34 million is 86,000 more than the same day in 2020, a pandemic-era first, which is just days after the World Health Organization declared COVID-19 a pandemic. Airlines are starting to see increased bookings for spring and summer, suggesting an upward trend.

"Our last three weeks have been the best three weeks since the pandemic hit, and each week has been better than the one prior," American Airlines CEO Doug Parker said Monday.

Parker said American’s bookings are now running just 20% below 2019 levels. A factor appears to be traveler confidence now that more people are getting vaccinated against COVID-19. About 70 million Americans, or 21%, have received at least one dose, and 37 million have completed their vaccination, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Delta Air Lines CEO Ed Bastian said Monday that bookings began picking up five or six weeks ago.

Since the pandemic hit, air travel has picked up a few times — mostly around holidays — only to drop back down. This time, the recovery “seems like it’s real,” Bastian said during the same J.P. Morgan investor conference at which Parker spoke.

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby said his airline will generate “core” cash instead of burning cash for March, and he expects the positive trend to continue in the months ahead.

Southwest Airlines CEO Gary Kelly said during a Washington Post webcast that his airline could break even by June, “where you have had much of the population vaccinated.”

Southwest said in a regulatory filing that for March and April will be better than expected as passenger traffic and fares rise. The airline said people are booking leisure trips to beach and mountain destinations but business travel is still lagging.

Airline stocks rose in afternoon trading. United Airlines was 9%, American gained 7%, Delta rose 3%, and Southwest added 1%.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.