The Transportation and Security Administration (TSA) reported their first 1M+ traveler day since March 16th, according to data provided by the government entity.

On October 18th, the TSA reported 1,031,505 travelers through their airport checkpoints. That number is still less than half of the 2.6M travelers the TSA recorded on the same day last year.

The milestone is not only a good measure of the TSA safety screening process in the pandemic-era, but also has to be one of the indicators Disney is looking at as it relates to consumer confidence in traveling. As you may know, out-of-state visitors would make up the majority of Disney World guests prior to the COVID-19 pandemic. Since the theme parks reopened, Disney has reported more than 50% of their visitation has been from local markets, a figure that Disney hopes to swing back towards out-of-state markets as they look to regain the health of their theme park business. A business that has seen billions in lost revenue and layoffs to the tune of 28,000 Cast Members.

Another potential bright spot on the horizon for Walt Disney World are the reports of international travel opening up in limited amounts for the holiday season.

While we’ve seen how the Walt Disney World theme parks have gotten busier since their mid-July reopening, it’s worth noting that Disney CEO Bob Chapek says that the theme parks are still operating at a 25% capacity limitation.

As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to keep an eye on the Disney Parks.