Fourth of July travelers return home following holiday weekend travel surge

Fourth of July travelers are making their return home after a weekend of celebrations as the country tries to return to normal following over a year of COVID-19 restrictions.

WASHINGTON - Fourth of July travelers are making their return home after a weekend of celebrations as the country tries to return to normal following over a year of COVID-19 restrictions.

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FOX 5's Bob Barnard was at Reagan National Airport in Arlington where longer than usual departure lines were spotted Monday morning.

Barnard says the Transportation Security Administration screened over two million passengers Friday. AAA estimated that more than 47.7 million Americans would travel by road or sky during the Fourth of July weekend -- an increase of an estimated 40 percent since last year.

Metro reported that as of 10 p.m. Sunday, 174,000 trips had been taken on Metrorail – the highest ridership number since before the pandemic.

Face masks are still required by federal law on trains, buses, and in stations and are also required on planes and in airports.

The travel surge comes as gas prices are at their highest in seven years and as rental car rates skyrocket. AAA say the busiest time to drive today is prior to 1 p.m. and between 4 p.m. and 5 p.m.

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