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.
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.”
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.
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 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.
