Air travel tracker: How many people are flying in the U.S.?

The pandemic has pounded air travel.

And while the holidays brought a bump, airlines expect 2021 to be a balancing act between pandemic safety and business interests.

Despite the CDC warning Americans to avoid Thanksgiving travel, millions did anyway. And despite CDC recommendations to celebrate the holidays with those you live with, millions more traveled around Christmas and New Year's Day.

Passengers have largely avoided airplanes since March 2020, with data from the Transportation Security Administration showing the number of people passing through checkpoints far below pre-pandemic levels: