Mental Floss

The 15 Airports With the Longest Thanksgiving Wait Times

You’ll want to plan accordingly or avoid these airports altogether if you’re on a time crunch.

ByCaLea Johnson|
Airports are notorious for being crowded around the holidays.
Airports are notorious for being crowded around the holidays. | Erlon Silva - TRI Digital/GettyImages

Thanksgiving is sneaking up on us. That means extended travel time for many people—with much of it being spent in the airport. Luckily for over-planners, Jettly has a compiled a list of the airports likely have the longest wait times this Thanksgiving.

To determine which travel hubs to avoid, the private jet rental service asked over 1000 travelers about their airport woes during the most recent holiday seasons. The company also used data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics to calculate the average peak wait times in TSA lines during Thanksgiving 2023.

Of all the major airports in the U.S., Miami International had the longest average peak wait time, with visitors spending 54.1 minutes in security lines last year. Los Angeles International came in at a close second. It took flyers an average peak wait time of 53.6 minutes to get through security. At John F. Kennedy International in New York City, travelers saw average peak wait times as long as 53.2 minutes. Seattle-Tacoma International had a 49.7-minute peak wait time, while Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International in Florida finished the top five at 48.8 minutes.  

You can find the rest of the airports with the longest peak wait times last year below:

Airport Name

Location

Longest Peak Wait Time

Miami International

Miami

54.1 minutes

Los Angeles International

Los Angeles

53.6 minutes

John F. Kennedy International

New York City

53.2 minutes

Seattle-Tacoma International

SeaTac, Washington

49.7 minutes

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International

Fort Lauderdale, Florida

48.8 minutes

Chicago O’Hare International

Chicago

47.7 minutes

Newark Liberty International

Newark, New Jersey

46.2 minutes

George Bush Intercontinental

Houston, Texas

45.7 minutes

Daniel K. Inouye International

Honolulu, Hawaii

45.5 minutes

San Francisco International

San Francisco

43.7 minutes

Orlando International

Orlando, Florida

40.9 minutes

Dallas/Fort Worth International

Dallas, Texas

40.6 minutes

Detroit Metro Wayne County

Detroit

40 minutes

Austin-Bergstorm International

Austin, Texas

37.2 minutes

San Diego International

San Diego, California

34.1 minutes

According to Travel + Leisure, there are a few ways travelers can avoid airport wait times and delays this holiday season. Choosing direct flights lessens the chance of missing a connection, and picking early morning flights reduces the chance of delays. Enrolling in TSA PreCheck also saves time, as passengers can keep their shoes, belts, and jackets on and can also keep liquids and laptops in their bags when going through security. Selecting less crowded airports and planning carefully will also help travelers during this stressful time of year.

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