Veteran travelers know the frustration of being stuck in a security line and wondering whether they will get through it in time to make their flight. Some airports are especially notorious for making passengers wait.
Recently, luggage storage app Bounce analyzed TSA and passport control wait times at some of the biggest and busiest airports in the U.S.
Here are the airports with the longest wait times — and those with the shortest.
10. Salt Lake City International Airport
Airport code: SLC
Location: Salt Lake City
Average TSA wait time: 15 minutes, 17 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 17 minutes, 23 seconds
Combined average wait time: 32 minutes, 40 seconds
Salt Lake City International Airport — which was built to serve half as many travelers as it does today — is in the midst of a $5.1 billion redevelopment program.
The first phase opened in September 2020. No local tax dollars are being spent on the redevelopment, which instead relies on user fees, which are paid primarily by airlines that use the airport.
9. Ontario International Airport
Airport code: ONT
Location: Ontario, California
Average TSA wait time: 13 minutes, 32 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 19 minutes, 35 seconds
Combined average wait time: 33 minutes, 7 seconds
Who says waiting in the airport has to be boring?
California’s Ontario International Airport partners with the local Chaffey Community Museum of Art to host rotating curated art exhibits featuring 2D and 3D art with “local flair” in both of the airport’s two terminals.
8. George Bush Intercontinental Airport
Airport code: IAH
Location: Houston
Average TSA wait time: 13 minutes, 53 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 19 minutes, 16 seconds
Combined average wait time: 33 minutes, 9 seconds
George Bush Intercontinental Airport flies to more than 30 destinations in Mexico, more than any other airport in the United States. It is named after George H.W. Bush, the nation’s 41st president, who raised all six of his children in the state of Texas, first in Odessa and then in Houston.
7. San Francisco International Airport
Airport code: SFO
Location: Unincorporated San Mateo County, California
Average TSA wait time: 12 minutes, 43 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 21 minutes, 1 second
Combined average wait time: 33 minutes, 44 seconds
Opened in 1927, San Francisco International Airport has served travelers for nearly a century. In its first month, what was a dirt airstrip running through a cow pasture hosted 19 passengers.
Today, more than 53 million travelers pass through the airport each year. The airport includes five colorful, interactive places for children to play.
6. Miami International Airport
Airport code: MIA
Location: Miami
Average TSA wait time: 14 minutes, 40 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 20 minutes, 19 seconds
Combined average wait time: 34 minutes, 59 seconds
Miami International Airport was founded in 1928. Today, it is the busiest airport in the United States for international freight and second-busiest for international travelers.
The airport is currently in the middle of a $38 million renovation of the central terminal between concourses F and G.
5. Austin-Bergstrom International Airport
Airport code: AUS
Location: Austin, Texas
Average TSA wait time: 15 minutes, 53 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 19 minutes, 29 seconds
Combined average wait time: 35 minutes, 22 seconds
Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is one of the fastest-growing airports in the country. To accommodate the surge in travelers, the airport is planning a multi-year expansion and improvement project. Work has already begun on a new baggage handling system and west gate expansion.
4. Los Angeles International Airport
Airport code: LAX
Location: Los Angeles
Average TSA wait time: 11 minutes, 32 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 23 minutes, 53 seconds
Combined average wait time: 35 minutes, 25 seconds
Los Angeles International Airport first opened its doors in 1928. During World War II, it was used primarily for military flights. Commercial use didn’t begin until 1946.
A $30 billion capital improvement program, with projects including an automated people mover.
3. O’Hare International Airport
Airport code: ORD
Location: Chicago
Average TSA wait time: 11 minutes, 53 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 25 minutes, 59 seconds
Combined average wait time: 37 minutes, 52 seconds
Chicago’s O’Hare International Airport is named after World War II Navy pilot Butch O’Hare, who single-handedly defended the USS Lexington aircraft carrier from nine Japanese bombers in 1942.
He received the Medal of Honor for “one of the most daring, if not the most daring, single action in the history of combat aviation,” according to the medal citation.
2. Orlando International Airport
Airport code: MCO
Location: Orlando, Florida
Average TSA wait time: 15 minutes, 34 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 23 minutes, 42 seconds
Combined average wait time: 39 minutes, 16 seconds
Orlando International Airport is the busiest airport in Florida and among the busiest in the country, according to the City of Orlando.
On-site amenities include a hotel, 10 rental car companies, several aircraft maintenance facilities and more than 170 food, beverage and retail locations.
1. John F. Kennedy International Airport
Airport code: JFK
Location: Queens, New York
Average TSA wait time: 15 minutes, 5 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 24 minutes, 43 seconds
Combined average wait time: 39 minutes, 48 seconds
John F. Kennedy International Airport — named after the 35th president of the United States — is the nation’s busiest international airport, with 128 gates. It is also the country’s third-biggest freight gateway in terms of the value of shipments.
Owned by the City of New York, it was built to relieve the growing traffic at LaGuardia Airport, also located in Queens.
Airports with the shortest waits
If you have struggled to get through any of the airports above, you are likely to feel a sense of relief when visiting the airports with the shortest wait times. Here are the ones that get you to your gate the fastest.
10. Tampa International Airport
Airport code: TPA
Location: Tampa, Florida
Average TSA wait time: 10 minutes, 23 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 12 minutes, 19 seconds
Combined average wait time: 22 minutes, 42 seconds
Tampa International Airport has made a strong push to become more sustainable. Nearly half of the airport’s fleet is made up of alternative-fuel vehicles.
Preferred parking spaces are available for those who drive alternative-fuel vehicles, and the lot has electric vehicle charging stations for public use.
9. Raleigh-Durham International Airport
Airport code: RDU
Location: Morrisville, North Carolina
Average TSA wait time: 8 minutes, 47 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 13 minutes, 19 seconds
Combined average wait time: 22 minutes, 6 seconds
Raleigh-Durham International Airport has two terminals and serves more than 14 million travelers annually.
It also has an observation park that is popular with children. The park offers views of the airport’s 10,000-foot runway.
8. Philadelphia International Airport
Airport code: PHL
Location: Philadelphia
Average TSA wait time: 10 minutes, 48 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 11 minutes, 2 seconds
Combined average wait time: 21 minutes, 50 seconds
Located just 7 miles from the city’s downtown, Philadelphia International Airport serves more than 25 million passengers annually.
The airport proudly proclaims that it is financially self-sustaining and does not rely on tax dollars. If you are leaving Philly for a short trip elsewhere, consider biking to the airport: You can lock up your bike at one of several racks in the airport for up to 72 hours.
7. Portland International Airport
Airport code: PDX
Location: Portland, Oregon
Average TSA wait time: 8 minutes, 44 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 12 minutes, 33 seconds
Combined average wait time: 21 minutes, 17 seconds
Portland International Airport’s main terminal recently received an upgrade intended to be inclusive of the local community.
As a result, it now features 100% local shops and restaurants and a wooden roof sourced from local forests.
6. Sacramento International Airport
Airport code: SMF
Location: Sacramento, California
Average TSA wait time: 7 minutes, 5 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 13 minutes, 36 seconds
Combined average wait time: 20 minutes, 41 seconds
Sacramento International Airport opened in 1967 and is located about 12 miles from the city’s downtown. A new terminal was unveiled in 2011, and a 20-year master plan followed in 2012.
If you hate circling endlessly to pick up passengers, this is the airport for you: It has a Free Waiting Area parking lot, also known as the cellphone lot.
5. San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport
Airport code: OAK
Location: Oakland, California
Average TSA wait time: 7 minutes, 39 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 12 minutes, 58 seconds
Combined average wait time: 20 minutes, 37 seconds
Located just a few miles from downtown Oakland, this airport recently added “San Francisco Bay” to the front of its name.
News reports say the renaming has caused it to be confused with San Francisco International Airport, leading to some travelers ending up at the wrong airport.
4. San Antonio International Airport
Airport code: SAT
Location: San Antonio
Average TSA wait time: 8 minutes, 4 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 11 minutes, 2 seconds
Combined average wait time: 19 minutes, 6 seconds
San Antonio International Airport originally served as a military airfield before opening to commercial flight in the World War II era.
Currently, a new terminal is being built as part of a $2.5 billion overhaul. Up to 17 new gates will be added as part of the project.
3. Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport
Airport code: PHX
Location: Phoenix
Average TSA wait time: 11 minutes, 11 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 5 minutes, 45 seconds
Combined average wait time: 16 minutes, 56 seconds
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is home to one of the largest airport museums in the country. You will also find an aviation history collection at the Arizona state capital’s airport.
2. John Wayne Airport
Airport code: JWA
Location: Santa Ana, California
Average TSA wait time: 9 minutes, 3 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 5 minutes, 35 seconds
Combined average wait time: 14 minutes, 38 seconds
At John Wayne Airport, located in California’s Orange County, four-legged ambassadors greet two-legged travelers.
The AirPAWS Therapy Dog Program features more than a dozen trained therapy dogs who “roam throughout the Airport greeting interested guests and providing joy to those who want to hug, smooch or photograph them,” the airport says.
1. Palm Beach International Airport
Airport code: PBI
Location: Palm Beach County, Florida
Average TSA wait time: 5 minutes, 29 seconds
Average passport control wait time: 1 minute, 58 seconds
Combined average wait time: 7 minutes, 27 seconds
Palm Beach International Airport is a medium-sized airport, just west of the city of West Palm Beach, that boasts its passengers can get from the ticket counter to their gate in just 15 minutes, on average. A nine-hole putting green is among its amenities.
Add a Comment