These are the 10 US airports with the longest wait times

Jetting out of JFK? You’ll likely need extra time.
While it’s important to get to any airport early, some flight hubs are notorious for taking an age to move through security lines and passport control.
Ahead of the holiday travel season, luggage storage company Bounce has ranked the airports with the longest wait times — and New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport topped the list.
“It’s common to experience delays in the airport, with long security or passport control lines adding to your time spent at international hubs,” said Bounce CEO Cody Candee. “Knowing which airports are home to the longest delays can provide a more efficient experience and save precious time.”
To determine which airports had the longest waits, Bounce analyzed the average times for security screening and passport clearance at airports across the country in 2024, sourcing the info from the US Customs and Border Protection Airport Wait Times and TSA Wait Times respectively.
3 “Busy airports like JFK and LAX are known for their long passport control times,” said Bounce CEO Cody Candee. “If you have the option, flying into John Wayne Airport instead of Los Angeles International Airport could save you 20 minutes 47 seconds on average.” UCG/Universal Images Group via Getty Images
Bounce found that the number one least efficient flight hub, JFK, had a total average wait time of 39 minutes and 48 seconds. Security screening took an average of 15 minutes and five seconds, while passport control tacks on about 24 minutes and 43 seconds, per the study.
The lengthy times were attributed to the fact that JFK is New York’s “primary international hub,” handling “millions of domestic and international passengers” per year.
“For many, it’s a final destination; for others, it is a vital connection point,” they write. “This heavy traffic inevitably leads to delays at both security and passport control.”
3 JFK. “It’s common to experience delays in the airport, with long security or passport control lines adding to your time spent at international hubs,” said Bounce CEO Cody Candee. “Knowing which airports are home to the longest delays can provide a more efficient experience and save precious time.” Getty Images
The upshot is that JFK has improved substantially with combined wait times in the past year, with the total time in lines down by eight minutes and 36 seconds.
Compare that to Newark Liberty International Airport which went from being one of the most expeditious airports in 2023 to one of the slowest today.
Combined wait times have skyrocketed from 13 minutes and 55 seconds to 32 minutes and 25 seconds over the past 12 months. Still, that wasn’t enough for the New Jersey airport to make the list of top 10 flight hubs with the longest wait time.
3 Palm Beach International Airport had the shortest combined wait time by a mile. Palm Beach International Airport
After JFK, Orlando International Airport in Florida clocked in second with a 39 minute 16 second total average wait time. Bounce chalked up to the flight purveyor being a hub for pilgrims to Disney World, which has similarly interminable lines.
Rounding out the top five were O’Hare International Airport in Chicago (37:52), Los Angeles International Airport (35:25), and Austin–Bergstrom International Airport in Austin, Texas (35:22).
The 10 airports with the longest wait times in the US :
Rank Airport State/Territory Average TSA Wait Time Average Passport Control Wait Time Average Combined Wait Time 1 John F. Kennedy International Airport New York 15:05 24:43 39:48 2 Orlando International Airport Florida 15:34 23:42 39:16 3 O’Hare International Airport Illinois 11:53 25:59 37:52 4 Los Angeles International Airport California 11:32 23:53 35:25 5 Austin–Bergstrom International Airport Texas 15:53 19:29 35:22 6 Miami International Airport Florida 14:40 20:19 34:59 7 San Francisco International Airport California 12:43 21:01 33:44 8 George Bush Intercontinental Airport Texas 13:53 19:16 33:09 9 Ontario International Airport California 13:32 19:35 33:07 10 Salt Lake City International Airport Utah 15:17 17:23 32:40 The 10 airports with the longest wait times in the US.
The airport with the shortest wait time, per the study, was Palm Beach International Airport in Florida with a combined time of seven minutes and 27 seconds.
The TSA Wait time clocked in at five minutes and 29 seconds while passport clearance took just under two minutes — the shortest in the ranking.
This marks a major turnaround from last year, when Palm Beach’s wait was among the longest of all US airports, at around 36 minutes and 42 seconds, per the study.
In other words, passengers were waiting 29 minutes and 16 seconds less on average, making the Florida airport the most improved player in terms of efficiency.
“PBI’s efficiency makes it the ideal airport for those seeking a delay-free experience,” Bounce wrote.
We’ve listed the ten airports with the shortest wait times below:
Rank Airport State/Territory Average TSA Wait Time Average Passport Control Wait Time Average Combined Wait Time 1 Palm Beach International Airport Florida 05:29 01:58 07:27 2 John Wayne Airport California 09:03 05:35 14:38 3 Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport Arizona 11:11 05:45 16:56 4 San Antonio International Airport Texas 08:04 11:02 19:06 5 San Francisco Bay Oakland International Airport California 07:39 12:58 20:37 6 Sacramento International Airport California 07:05 13:36 20:41 7 Portland International Airport Oregon 08:44 12:33 21:17 8 Philadelphia International Airport Pennsylvania 10:48 11:02 21:50 9 Raleigh–Durham International Airport North Carolina 08:47 13:19 22:06 10 Tampa International Airport Florida 10:23 12:19 22:42
In general, the experts at Bounce urge holiday travelers to fly out of smaller airports when possible to help curb wait times.
“Busy airports like JFK and LAX are known for their long passport control times,” said Candee. “If you have the option, flying into John Wayne Airport instead of Los Angeles International Airport could save you 20 minutes 47 seconds on average.”
Fortunately, on average, US airports have cut the time passengers spend waiting down from around 29 minutes and 35 seconds to 27 minutes and 16 seconds.