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Here are the airports with the longest security wait times during the holidays: Study

By Daniel Miller
Published  November 18, 2024 3:22pm MST
Travel
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FILE-Travelers arrive for their flights at the United Airlines ahead of the holidays, at O'Hare International Airport on December 22, 2022, in Chicago. (Photo by KAMIL KRZACZYNSKI/AFP via Getty Images)

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The Brief 

    • Miami International Airport had the longest wait time for travelers during the Thanksgiving holidays last year.
    • Data for the study analyzed average peak wait times in TSA lines at 34 airports in the U.S. during the Thanksgiving and winter holidays in 2023.
    • Americans who traveled on airplanes in the past two years were polled for the study.

The holiday season is fast-approaching, and millions of people will travel to visit friends and family. 

And for travelers planning to fly, there is a chance you are going to encounter unusual wait times at the airport. 

In a new study from Jettly, the private charter jet technology company evaluated the airports with the longest security wait times using data from the US Customs and Border Protection and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to determine the average peak wait times in TSA lines during the 2023 Thanksgiving and winter holidays for the 34 largest airports in the 50 U.S. states. 

RELATED: 4 in 5 holiday travelers changing plans due to inflation, survey finds

Researchers also polled 1,001 Americans who traveled on airplanes in the last two years about their airport experiences and frustrations traveling during the holiday season.

The results of the report found that Miami International Airport had the longest wait time for travelers during the Thanksgiving holiday in 2023. Passengers at the airport dealt with average wait times of 54.1 minutes in security lines, which was the longest among airports Jettly assessed. 

Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA) had the longest average peak wait times over the winter holidays last year (69.8 minutes), according to the study. 

Long security lines at airports have also caused holiday travel stress for Americans, with 49% of respondents sharing that they have waited more than an hour in an airport security line during the holiday season, with 17% experiencing wait times exceeding two hours. 

The longer than usual wait times have resulted in missed flights with 6% of respondents telling Jettly that they have missed their flight because of long security lines in the past year. 

To manage the inconvenience of long security wait times, 10% of Gen Z travelers admitted to paying for the quick security option CLEAR to speed up their airport security experience. 

Here’s the full list of airports with long security wait times. 

Airports with the longest security wait times

  1. Miami International Airport (MIA)-54.1 minutes
  2. Los Angeles International Airport (LAX)-53.6 minutes
  3. John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) New York-53.2 minutes
  4. Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA)-49.7 minutes
  5. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)-48.8 minutes
  6. Chicago-O’Hare International Airport-47.7 minutes
  7. Newark Liberty International (EWR)-46.2 minutes
  8. George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH)-45.7 minutes
  9. Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)-45.5 minutes
  10. San Francisco International Airport-43.7 minutes
  11. Orlando International Airport (MCO)-40.9 minutes
  12. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport-40.6 minutes
  13. Detroit Metro Wayne County Airport-40 minutes
  14. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport-37.2 minutes
  15. San Diego International Airport-34.1 minutes

How many people are planning to travel during the holidays this year?

Deloitte released a survey revealing that 49% of people plan to travel during the 2024 holiday season. Respondents in the survey shared that they also intend to take more than two trips this year, with 33% saying they are planning vacations of a week or longer.

The survey noted that travelers expect to spend an average of $3,294 for their longest holiday trip, and their seasonal travel budget is 4% higher than in 2023. Travel is expected to be higher among younger and higher-income travelers. Two-thirds of higher-income Americans plan to travel with millennials expected to spend an average of $3,927 on holiday travel this year. 

The Source

  • Information for this study was provided from a Jettly survey and Deloitte survey. Jettly used data from the US Customs and Border Protection and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to determine the average peak wait times in Transportation Security Administration lines during the 2023 Thanksgiving and winter holidays for the 34 largest airports in the 50 US states. We also surveyed 1,001 Americans who have traveled via flight in the last 2 years about their airport experiences and frustrations traveling during the holiday season.