U.S. Air Travelers Dip Below 100,000 in Worst-Ever Free Fall

  • Total is less than what biggest airports handle on busy day
  • More than 2 million people flew on corresponding day last year
Photographer: David Paul Morris/Bloomberg
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Almost every day over the past three weeks the number of people flying in the U.S. has reached a record low as the pandemic kept people home. But on Tuesday, the levels crossed a stark dividing line: fewer than 100,000 people.

The steady and sustained fall in passengers -- now 95% below levels a year ago -- hasn’t been seen since the dawn of the jet age in the early 1960s, say experts who follow aviation trends.