These Were the Airports with the Highest Thanksgiving Wait Times Last Year, According to a New Report

The worst airport had a staggering average of 54.1 minutes.

By Alison Fox Alison Fox

Alison Fox is a Travel + Leisure contributor. She has also written for Parents.com, The Wall Street Journal, and amNewYork. When she’s not in New York City, she can be found at the beach or on the slopes. Travel + Leisure Editorial Guidelines Published on November 1, 2024

Close Passengers at Miami International Airport line up at at a security check-point on July 19, 2024, in Miami, Florida. Photo:

CHANDAN KHANNA/Getty Images

Thanksgiving travel inevitably means long airport wait times, and that’s especially true in Miami where wait times exceeded any other major airport last year.

The average peak security wait at Miami International Airport (MIA) was a whopping 54.1 minutes over the Thanksgiving holiday last year, according to a report from Jettly, a private jet booking service. That was nearly a minute longer than the second-highest wait time at Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), where passengers suffered from an average peak security wait of 53.6 minutes.

New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) came in third with an average peak security wait of 53.2 minutes. Seattle–Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL) rounded out the top five.

“With the holiday season just around the corner, millions of Americans are getting ready to face the crowds at airports,” Jettly said in their report. “Our analysis of last year's holiday travel … can help you plan ahead and navigate the busy travel season with a little more ease.”

Beyond just long wait times, FLL also had the highest percentage of delayed flights over Thanksgiving last year with 21.2 percent of flights taking off later than expected. That was a notable increase over fellow Florida airport Orlando International Airport (MCO), which delayed 19.8 percent of Thanksgiving holiday flights.

The report comes as the 2024 holiday travel season is shaping up to be a busy and expensive one with travelers expected to spend more this year. Thanksgiving is Thursday, Nov. 28.

While there is no guarantee, travelers can increase their chances of avoiding potential travel snafus by choosing direct flights to lessen the chances of missing a connection and booking early morning flights since they tend to have higher on-time performance rates.

Travelers can also try to shorten airport wait times by enrolling in TSA PreCheck, which allows passengers to leave their shoes, belts, and light jackets on and leave laptops and liquids in their bags when going through security.