PHOENIX — March is the busiest month of the year for Sky Harbor, and while they're not seeing pre-pandemic numbers, an airport spokesperson told ABC15 they saw an increase in travelers during peak times of the day Monday.
Fatimah Smith and her two kids were getting ready to go through security in Terminal 4. They'll be spending Spring Break in California.
"It's the first day of Spring Break so we're going to la to have fun," said Smith.
Sarah Annotti and her daughter Fiona came to the Valley from Florida for their spring break.
"My father just bought a home here and I wanted to check it out and get out of Jacksonville. Just I need a change of scenery. I was starting to feel claustrophobic just staying within the parameter of where I live," said Annotti.
She said it was her first flight since the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic.
"You know we did this for a year and I know a lot of people have gotten the vaccine or have antibodies. I have the antibody so I do feel a little bit more safe," she said.
Other families told us they've been traveling throughout the pandemic.
"We've always been safe, so we're pretty comfortable. We just try not to worry about other people, we worry about ourselves and our space," said Joey Wiseman from Gilbert.
The TSA said Monday the country hit a new pandemic record in air travel. More than 1.3 million people were screened at airports on Friday, the highest number since March 15, 2020.
"All the airports --Minneapolis, Phoenix--everywhere I've been in the past two weeks have been busy," said Mark Donnell, who frequently travels.
Still at Sky Harbor, things are not yet back to normal. According to the latest numbers from the airport, Sky Harbor had 1.6 million passengers in January 2021. That's less than half of the 3.8 million in January 2020. A spokesperson for the airport said they won't have February numbers until later this month.
Several shops and restaurants remain closed inside terminals due to low demand.
