The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) has announced that it screened more than 11.3 million travelers over the July 4 holiday weekend. Lasting from June 30 through July 4, the holiday weekend travel volume represents 93% of the volume for the same 5-day pre-pandemic holiday period in 2019. The busiest day was Friday, July 1, with the TSA screening 2.49 million individuals, narrowly surpassing the previous post-pandemic high on June 26, 2022, when 2.46 million individuals screened. Over the course of the long weekend, roughly 92% of travelers in standard screening lanes waited less than 15 minutes; roughly 95% of TSA PreCheck® passengers waited less than 5 minutes. TSA Administrator David Pekoske stated, “We expect the summer travel season to remain busy, and we encourage passengers to arrive at the airport in plenty of time to park, check-in, check bags, get through the checkpoint with identification in hand and get to their gates in time for boarding.”

Delta Air Lines Inc.’s CEO has apologized to customers for the level of canceled and delayed flights, reports Bloomberg. In a letter to its SkyMiles frequent flier program members on Thursday, June 30, Ed Bastian acknowledged traveler frustration, stating, “We’ve spent years establishing Delta as the industry leader in reliability, and though the majority of our flights continue to operate on time, this level of disruption and uncertainty is unacceptable.” While noting that change won’t happen “overnight,” Delta is taking multiple steps to help mitigate future disruptions, such as adding extra boarding time for flights, building a greater buffer in crew schedules, and using white collar salaried workers to help speed customers through airports. Delta is also working with the US Federal Aviation Administration to minimize delays and cancellations due to weather.

The US State Department is no longer honoring expired United States passports, ending a pandemic-era practice implemented due to delays in processing, reports Travel + Leisure. As of July 1, travelers are no longer "permitted to use your expired US passport to return to the United States"; previously, US citizens were allowed to enter the country if their passport had expired on or after January 1, 2020. The rule was initially put in place after consulates and embassies were forced to cut staffing, leading to “unprecedented” delays in passport services. At its peak, processing times ran up to 18 weeks, including cancelling the ability to book last-minute appointments. According the US State department, passports are currently taking eight to 11 weeks to process, or five to seven weeks for an expedited fee. While the easiest way to currently renew a passport is by mail, President Joe Biden signed an executive order last year requiring the government to "design and deliver a new online passport renewal experience that does not require any physical documents to be mailed."

The Australian government has announced the elimination of its remaining pandemic-era border restrictions. As of July 6, individuals entering the country will no longer need to show proof of vaccination, fill out a Digital Passenger Declaration or Maritime Travel Declaration when entering Australia, and seek an exemption to enter Australia; this follows the lifting of COVID-19 testing requirements and quarantine rules. Individuals will still need to wear a mask on inbound international flights as well as comply with any state and territory orders requiring masks on domestic flights. The Minister for Home Affairs, Clare O’Neil, stated, “As more and more of us travel internationally and we get more confident in managing our risk of COVID, our airports are getting busier […] Removing these requirements will not only reduce delays in our airports but will encourage more visitors and skilled workers to choose Australia as a destination.

Singapore Airlines has announced plans to increase services across Japan, restore its network to India to pre-pandemic levels, and add more flights to and from Los Angeles and Paris, reports Business Travel News. Beginning July 24, direct daily flights will take place between Singapore and Tokyo, as well as daily service from Singapore to Los Angeles via Tokyo-Narita. Daily service to and from Singapore and Osaka, Fukuoka, and Nagoya will also increase by October 30. For India, the carrier will progressively operate 17 weekly services to Chennai, 14 weekly flights to Kochi, and 16 weekly flights to Bengaluru by October 30. Beginning November 30, Singapore Airlines will operate two daily nonstop flights to Los Angeles, bringing weekly service up to 21 flights from 17. In addition, on December 1, the airline will operate roundtrips five times weekly between Singapore and Paris, up from three times weekly and in addition to daily service, for a total of 12 weekly flights to Paris.