The official travel period at Orlando International Airport started on Friday. Nearly three million people are expected to pass through the gates between now and Jan. 5, a one percent increase from last year’s record numbers.

If the government shuts down, essential services remain in place, but others will be stopped or delayed. Here are some ways a government shutdown could affect people living in Central Florida.

Delta Airlines is investigating a bizarre passenger situation.

The TSA anticipates screening millions of passengers over the holiday period.

The Thanksgiving travel rush is expected to be bigger than ever this year.

The last-minute Thanksgiving travelers are packing their cars and carry-on bags to hit the nation's highways and airports.

Airports, highways, beaches and theme parks are expected to be packed across the U.S. this Labor Day weekend as a lot Americans mark the unofficial end of summer the same way they celebrated the season’s unofficial start: by traveling.

Agents for the U.S. Transportation Security Administration on Sunday screened 3 million airline passengers in a single day for the first time ever.

A long Fourth of July holiday weekend in the United States is expected to create new travel records.

A long Fourth of July holiday weekend in the United States is expected to create new travel records.

The Fourth of July is right around the corner, and the travel rush is already heating up.

With just over a week to go until the Fourth of July, the Transportation Security Administration just announced it had its busiest day ever - yet again.

If you think airports are crowded this summer, it's not your imagination.

A record was broken ahead of the Memorial Day weekend for the number of airline travelers screened at U.S. airports.

Airlines are struggling to keep flights on time heading into the Memorial Day holiday weekend, but at least cancellations have been relatively modest so far.

Airport security officers in Miami found a slithering surprise last week.

TSA officials said that officers at the Miami International Airport detected the bag hidden inside the passenger’s pants, prompting a call to Customs and Border Patrol.

A bipartisan group of senators wants restrictions on the use of facial recognition technology by the Transportation Security Administration.

The U.S. government has started requiring migrants without passports to submit to facial recognition technology to take domestic flights under a change that prompted confusion this week among immigrants and advocacy groups in Texas.

The next time you're in a security line at the airport, you may find that instead of a Transportation Security Administration officer checking your ID, a camera and screen will use biometric facial recognition to confirm your face and photo ID match and ensure your ID isn't fake.

Federal airport security officials have unveiled a prototype passenger self-screening system at busy Harry Reid International Airport in Las Vegas but say they do not plan to use it in other cities around the country.

Federal and local officials say they're taking steps to crimp counterfeiting, ground drones and curb human trafficking during Super Bowl week in Las Vegas.

The Transportation Security Administration said it intercepted a record 6,737 firearms at 265 U.S. airport security checkpoints in 2023, surpassing the previous year’s record of 6,542 firearms.

The holiday travel rush is hitting its peak as mild weather and lower flight cancelation rates raise hopes for merrier drivers and airline passengers than last year.

The Transportation Security Administration says security officers found 17 bullets concealed inside a disposable baby diaper at New York’s LaGuardia Airport.

Airports and highways are expected to be busier this Christmas season than they were a year ago.

A record number of passengers traveled through U.S. airports over Thanksgiving weekend, the Transportation Security Administration said Monday.

Holiday travelers are starting their final sprint.

Across the country, federal workers still stung by memories of past government shutdowns are bracing for the possibility of another extended closure.

A Florida black bear has been captured and relocated after wandering into Tampa International Airport.

Summer vacation has already begun for some across the U.S., and if Memorial Day is any indication, travelers should expect a busy summer season in 2023.

The agency tasked with securing America's airports is testing the use of facial recognition technology at a number of airports across the country.

Congress is taking another look at creating a new no-fly list for unruly passengers.

Federal authorities say a Pennsylvania man admits packing explosive materials, fuses and a lighter into a suitcase he checked for a commercial flight to Florida.

Last year saw a record number of guns intercepted at airport checkpoints across the country.

Last year saw a record number of guns intercepted at airport checkpoints across the country.

Power was briefly knocked out at Los Angeles International Airport on Wednesday afternoon, leaving many passengers at one of the world’s busiest airports in the dark and halting security checks.

Orlando tops list of Florida locations, TSA says

A sneaking snake was stopped at security at Tampa International Airport.

The federal agency tasked with airport security says so far this year officers have stopped a record number of guns going through airport security.

The Transportation Security Administration is raising the fine for people caught with a firearm in their carry-on bag.

Transportation Security Administration agents at the Dane County Regional Airport found a dog in a backpack during an x-ray bag scan in December.

Don’t accuse the TSA of catnapping on the job.

A commercial flight from Cincinnati to Tampa was diverted to Atlanta after a disruptive passenger was seen with a box cutter.

Transportation Security Administration agents recently intercepted a raw whole chicken with a handgun shoved inside, according to social media post.

Air travelers are finally getting a break on fares.

The Transportation Security Administration, their contractor Idemia and airport leaders at Orlando International Airport announced a new plan Tuesday to try to make the enrollment process for TSA pre-check easier and faster.

The Transportation Security Administration said it’s on track to stop a record-setting number of guns at checkpoints across the country in 2022.

The fireworks are still a few days away, but travel for the July Fourth weekend is off to a booming start.

The fireworks are still a few days away, but travel for the July Fourth weekend is off to a booming start.

Airlines are canceling more than 1,500 flights across the U.S. in one of the worst days yet in the summer travel season.

The Transportation Security Administration said the agency is preparing to handle its “busy” summer travel season as it expects passenger volume will “match and may occasionally exceed” pre-pandemic levels.

The people who screen your bag at the airport are expecting big crowds this summer.

Flyers looking to join the Transportation Security Administration’s Precheck program can make a one-stop-shop of the whole process at an enrollment event taking place later this month at Daytona Beach International Airport (DAB).

U.S. health officials are restating their recommendation that Americans wear masks on planes, trains and buses, despite a court ruling last month that struck down a national mask mandate on public transportation.

The Justice Department is filing an appeal seeking to overturn a judge’s order that voided the federal mask mandate on planes and trains and in travel hubs.

A poll finds that a majority of people in the United States continue to support a mask requirement for people traveling on airplanes and other shared transportation.

Disney World has dropped all mask mandates, according to its website on Tuesday.

After about two years of masking up on public transportation, wearing face coverings is now optional for travelers.

A federal judge in Florida struck down a national mask mandate on airplanes and mass transit Monday, and airlines and airports swiftly began repealing their face covering requirements.

Orlando International Airport is in the state’s lead as Florida airports continue to rank in the nation’s top 10 every year for where passengers are most often stopped at checkpoints with a gun.

The Biden administration has announced it will extend through May 3 the nationwide mask requirement for airplanes and public transit as it monitors an uptick in COVID-19 cases.

The Biden administration says U.S. airport security procedures will become more gender-neutral.

After the last couple years of living through a global pandemic, it seems as though most of us are itching to get in some good travel time.

Federal officials are extending the requirement for masks on planes and public transportation through mid-April while taking steps that could lead to lifting the rule.

There has been a surge in guns being discovered at airport checkpoints.

Delta Air Lines has told the U.S. Department of Justice that any person convicted of a disruption on board a flight should be put on the national “no fly” list.

Newly released video shows a security officer leaping over conveyor belt rollers and saving a 2-month-old boy who stopped breathing at a New Jersey airport security checkpoint.

The Transportation Security Administration issued a statement Monday, reminding holiday travelers that you can travel with your holiday food, but some things can go in carry-on luggage, and some things need to be checked.

Thanksgiving travel season comes to an end for 2021.

Thanksgiving travelers across the U.S. are flying in record numbers.

Authorities say a passenger awaiting a bag search at the Atlanta airport’s main security checkpoint reached in the bag and grabbed a firearm, and it went off, causing chaos among travelers.

The number of airline passengers traveling for Thanksgiving this year is expected to rebound to pre-coronavirus pandemic levels, but the Transportation Security Administration says it is ready to handle the surge.

If you're flying on a plane or taking a train, be ready to keep wearing that face mask for a few more months.

Air travel in the United States hit another pandemic-era record over the weekend as vacationers jammed airports, but shares of airlines, cruise lines, hotels and almost anything else related to travel are tumbling on growing concerns about highly contagious variants of coronavirus.

Summer travel continues to pick up and the number of people traveling by air hit a new pandemic-era record Friday.

If you found yourself stranded at an airport Sunday, blame demand.

The airline industry’s recovery from the pandemic passed a milestone as more than 2 million people streamed through U.S. airport security checkpoints on Friday for the first time since early March 2020.

The Biden administration says it is moving to increase the pay and union rights for security screeners at the nation’s airports.

Homeland Security Secretary Alejandro Mayorkas says people traveling for Memorial Day weekend should be patient because there will be long lines at U.S. airports.

The federal government will issue cybersecurity regulations in the coming days for U.S. pipeline operators following a ransomware attack that led to fuel shortages across much of the Eastern Seaboard.

More and more Americans are taking to the skies again.

If you're traveling over the Memorial Day weekend, expect lots of company.

Mother's Day weekend meant bigger crowds at U.S. airports.

The federal government is extending the requirement that travelers wear face masks on planes, trains and buses.

All rights reserved)Travelers stand in line at a TSA security checkpoint at Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Friday, Feb. 19, 2021, in Austin, Texas. Temperatures dropped into the single digits this week as snow shut down air travel and grocery stores. (AP Photo/Ashley Landis)Anyone who has flown recently is in good company as Sunday set a new record with the highest number of air travelers since the coronavirus pandemic began. AdClose to 10 million people have flown in the last week as spring break continues for students across the nation. The trend is worrying health experts because only 15.5% of the population is fully vaccinated against COVID-19.

(AP Photo/Rick Bowmer, File)Across the United States, air travel is recovering more quickly from the depths of the pandemic, and it is showing up in longer airport security lines and busier traffic on airline websites. "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. However, the airlines still have far to go before travel fully returns to pre-pandemic levels. Since the pandemic hit, air travel has picked up a few times — mostly around holidays — only to drop back down. The airline said people are booking leisure trips to beach and mountain destinations but business travel is still lagging.

(AP Photo/Jae C. Hong, File)DURHAM, N.C. -- Duke University issued a quarantine order for all of its undergraduates effective Saturday night due to a coronavirus outbreak caused by students who attended recruitment parties, the school said. The university said in a statement that all undergraduate students will be forced to stay-in-place until at least March 21. Suspension or dismissal from the school are potential punishments for “flagrant or repeat violators.”Over the past week, the school has reported more than 180 positive coronavirus cases among students. AdItaly has now tallied some 3.2 million cases in the pandemic. The COVAX alliance aims to share COVID-19 vaccines with more than 90 lower and middle-income nations.

FILE - In this June 10, 2020 file photo, Transportation Security Administration agents process passengers at the south security checkpoint at Denver International Airport in Denver. Federal safety officials are investigating people who took part in last week's riot at the U.S. Capitol to decide whether they belong on the federal no-fly list. (AP Photo/David Zalubowski, File)Air travel had its busiest weekend in more than a month. Transportation Security Administration data shows more than 4 million people have passed through airport security since Thursday. AdAirlines have been concerned the CDC might mandate a negative COVID-19 test before any travel, but the agency says it is not considering that at this time.

Federal safety officials are investigating people who took part in last week's riot at the U.S. Capitol to decide whether they belong on the federal no-fly list. The assessments are one of several steps federal agencies are taking to increase security before President-elect Joe Biden's inauguration next week. The assessments could result in rioters being added to the federal no-fly list, the person said. The FBI said earlier this week it was considering adding Capitol rioters to the federal no-fly list but stopped short of saying that individuals were being scrutinized. Airlines and Washington-area airports also have promised tighter security after last week’s riot at the Capitol by supporters of President Donald Trump.

Administrative worker Sander Edmondson, left, hands a COVID-19 testing kit to a woman at a testing site in Los Angeles, Sunday, Dec. 27, 2020. (AP Photo/Jae C. Hong)Here’s what’s happening Monday with the pandemic in the U.S.:THREE THINGS TO KNOW TODAY— A huge study of another COVID-19 vaccine candidate is getting underway Monday as states continue to roll out scarce supplies of the nation’s first shots. Some 30,000 volunteers are needed to prove if this vaccine — a different kind than its Pfizer and Moderna competitors — really works and is safe. — Homicides in Detroit, New York, Philadelphia and other U.S. cities have topped 2019 numbers as violence surged during the coronavirus pandemic. ___Find AP’s full coverage of the coronavirus pandemic at https://apnews.com/hub/coronavirus-pandemic

(AP Photo/Emrah Gurel)BEIJING — Authorities in China’s northeastern port city of Dalian are testing millions of residents after seven new coronavirus cases were reported there in the last 24 hours. It has a deal to secure up to 100 million doses of the potential vaccine produced by AstraZeneca. Koca said the first shipment of three million doses of CoronaVac would be shipped to Turkey on Sunday and arrive Monday. He said Turkey could get 4.5 million doses until the end of March and would have the option buy up to 30 million doses. Indonesia has reported nearly 700,000 COVID-19 cases, the largest caseload in Southeast Asia and second in Asia only to India’s 10.1 million confirmed cases.

ORLANDO, Fla. – A Transportation Security Administration officer cut his coffee break short recently to help save a passenger who was found unresponsive at Orlando International Airport. Soon thereafter a Delta employee who is a certified first responder joined Ordenana in performing life-saving measures. “Although I do not know this man, never met this man before, I had tremendous compassion and empathy for him. “A single act of kindness throws roots in all directions and the roots spring up and make new trees,” he said. A single and simple act of kindness can make someone’s day and the power to change someone’s life.

The Transportation Security Administration screened at least 1 million people on four of the last 10 days through Sunday. That's still half the crowd recorded last year at airports, when more than 2 million people were counted per day. With new reported cases of coronavirus spiking across the country, the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention had issued a warning against Thanksgiving travel just a week before the holiday. It's unclear whether the pleas of experts like Fauci had any effect on travel and large gatherings at Thanksgiving. On Monday, JetBlue Airways said “booking trends remain volatile,” and a recovery in travel demand will be uneven into next year.

ORLANDO, Fla. – It appears Americans are starting to travel again after the coronavirus pandemic ravaged the industry. The Transportation Security Administration said airport passenger has hit a six-month high. According to the agency, more than 984,000 people passed through U.S. checkpoints on Sunday. That is significantly low, however, compared to the 2.5 million travelers reported on the same day in 2019. The TSA says checkpoint traffic hit its low on April 14. when 87,000 travelers passed through U.S. checkpoints.

Published: September 24, 2020, 7:38 am Updated: September 24, 2020, 7:47 amORLANDO, Fla. – A passenger is facing charges after deputies say he tried to sneak a gun through a security checkpoint at Orlando International Airport. Investigators say German Espinosa, 29, was carrying a backpack with a 9mm firearm and several bullets inside it. Deputies say a airport security screener made the discovery after putting Epinosa’s bag through an X-ray machine. Investigators say Espinosa did not have a permit to carry a concealed firearm. Espinosa was booked into the Orange County Jail and has since been released.

(Copyright 2019 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)It was a busy holiday weekend for air travel. The Transportation Security Administration says it screened almost a million people on Friday, a record high since the pandemic began. In comparison, they saw double that number the year before. The TSA say they saw less people on Saturday, only about half a million people traveled that day.

(AP Photo/Tony Gutierrez)With air traffic nearing a five-month high, airport security is finding guns in passenger carry-on bags at three times the rate recorded before the pandemic. There has been a significant increase in loaded guns at checkpoints, said TSA Administrator David Pekoske. Last year, 4,432 guns were found in carry-on bags, or about 12.1 per day, and 87% were loaded. TSA's public appeal to follow gun rules came the same day that it reported screening 831,789 people on Sunday. It was the first time checkpoint traffic in U.S. airports has topped 800,000 since March 17.

The top TSA official in Kansas, Jay Brainard, says the TSAs actions amount to gross mismanagement." The special counsel has ordered TSA's parent agency, the Homeland Security Department, to conduct an investigation. Brainard filed his whistleblower complaint on June 3, and the special counsel on Thursday ordered the Homeland Security Department to investigate the allegations. By law, the special counsel only takes that step when it believes there is a substantial likelihood of wrongdoing. The special counsel will review Homeland Securitys findings and issue a report to the White House and Congress.

ORLANDO, Fla. Chief Executive Phil Brown released a statement Wednesday saying the governors statement noting 260 workers test positive for COVID-19 at Orlando International Airport is incorrect. Ron DeSantis said those workers tested positive for the coronavirus after nearly 500 employees were tested. [RELATED: 260 workers test positive for COVID-19 at Orlando International Airport, governor says]According to Browns statement, of the 500 airport workers tested for coronavirus, only two had positive results. Another 128 people that tested positive were not airport employees but were traceable connections to the workers that tested positive for COVID-19. For clarification, the two figures together mean 260 people tested positive for COVID-19 had some connection to OIA whether a visitor, traveler or worker.