With Memorial Day in sight, summertime is officially on the horizon and international travel is once again top of mind for millions of Americans and visitors to the U.S. But this year’s federal budget cuts, economic uncertainty, and slew of changes to immigration policy may damper vacation plans. In fact, recent data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection confirms longer customs wait times at numerous major airports during the summer travel season, and—surprise!—LAX is the worst of all.
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According to a new report published by Upgraded Points, our very own Los Angeles International (LAX) airport clocked the longest average immigration-line wait time of 31.8 minutes and delayed 12.8-percent of travelers for over an hour. Arguably worse but technically slotted second-to-last on the list, customs at Chicago's O’Hare International Airport (ORD) keeps travelers waiting an average of 31.7 minutes and creates the highest share of hour-plus delays (13.6-percent) in the country. Meanwhile, despite significantly lower traffic, Nashville International Airport (BNA) had the third worst performance, with waits averaging 31.1 minutes.
Looking to trim your airport hours? Entry point Palm Beach International (PBI) in Florida keeps visitors in line for a mere 3.5 minutes. Closer to home, Orange County’s John Wayne Airport (SNA) averages a 6.4-minute wait, with the vast majority of its travelers (93.7%) waiting less than 15 minutes.
Overall, non-citizens are facing the longest tests of patience across all major airports, often upwards of 30 to 40 minutes during peak hours. By contrast, U.S. citizens typically wait less than 20 minutes. It’s no surprise that prejudice policy begets blatant bureaucracy, and dare we say messy behavior.
The full report covers 41 major U.S. international airports, with a detailed breakdown of wait times for all travelers, comparative wait times for U.S. citizens and non-citizens, and the share of travelers processed in under 15 or over 60 minutes.
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