Coronavirus outbreak has set back the number of air travellers by decades

The number of Americans getting on airplanes has sunk to a level not seen in more than 60 years as people prefer to stay in their homes to avoid catching or spreading coronavirus. The Transportation Security Administration screened less than 100,000 people on Tuesday, a drop of 95% from a year ago.

The official tally of 97,130 people who passed through TSA checkpoints includes some airline crew members and people who are still working at shops inside airport security perimeters.

The last time the nation averaged 97,000 passengers a day was in 1954, according to figures from trade group