The Airports Where You Should Arrive Earliest for Holiday Flights [2026 Study]

Holiday travel can turn even a familiar airport into a labyrinth of frantic families and lost bags stretching from the parking lot to the gate. Around Thanksgiving and the winter holiday season, you should bake in extra time to arrive early and ensure you’re ready to board when your delayed flight is finally ready.

To help guide travelers this holiday season, we set out to find the airports requiring the biggest holiday buffer by analyzing 44 major airports across 15 factors that can impact airport timing decisions. We also examined TSA screening data from the 2025 holiday travel period to identify the airports, days, and hours that saw the biggest crowds. Additionally, we surveyed 500 people who typically fly for the holidays to learn what causes the most concern.

The study reveals where travelers should plan to arrive earliest, how holiday TSA traffic changes throughout the season, and how added stress impacts the already chaotic airport experience.

Key Takeaways

• Denver International Airport (DEN) is the airport where travelers should arrive earliest, at 3 hours, 35 minutes before their holiday flight.
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) had the highest average daily holiday TSA volume, with nearly 102,000 passengers screened per day.
• 77% of holiday travelers arrive at least 15 minutes earlier than usual, including 36% who arrive 1 to 2 hours earlier.
• 68% of travelers find holiday flying more stressful than other times of year, and 21% have missed a holiday flight after arriving at the airport too late.

U.S. Airports Where You Need To Arrive Earliest for Holiday Flights

To identify where travelers should give themselves the most time, we analyzed 15 factors that can complicate the airport experience, including holiday TSA throughput (the number of passengers screened each day), passenger volume, airport size, gates, staffing, parking, flight performance, and local road traffic.

Airports Where You Need To Arrive Earliest

We found that airport scale and holiday crowds can be a difficult combination. For the airports at the top of the ranking, travelers should plan to arrive more than 3 hours before a domestic flight.

• Denver International Airport (DEN): 3 hours, 35 minutes
• Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW): 3 hours, 32 minutes
• George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH): 3 hours, 29 minutes
• Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD): 3 hours, 26 minutes
• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX): 3 hours, 21 minutes

Denver takes the top spot. Its massive 33,000-acre footprint, 148 gates, and average daily holiday TSA throughput of more than 68,000 travelers mean you’ll want to arrive well in advance of your flight just in case. DFW and IAH follow close behind. Both combine large airport campuses with 100-plus gates and substantial passenger traffic.

TSA traffic also plays a major role for O’Hare and Los Angeles. LAX had the highest average daily holiday TSA throughput in the study: nearly 102,000 people screened each day. ORD ranked third, with nearly 85,000 daily screenings. At airports this busy, even a smooth trip can take longer once holiday crowds enter the mix.

• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK): 3 hours, 21 minutes
• Miami International Airport (MIA): 3 hours, 18 minutes
• Orlando International Airport (MCO): 3 hours, 17 minutes
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL): 3 hours, 16 minutes
• San Francisco International Airport (SFO): 3 hours, 5 minutes

The next 5 airports on the list are no less familiar with holiday crowds. JFK ranked second for average daily holiday TSA volume, while MCO, ATL, and MIA all ranked among the 6 busiest airports in the study for daily holiday screenings.

Airports Where You Can Afford To Relax a Bit

At the other end of the ranking, some airports offer more breathing room. These 5 airports had the lowest scores in the study, meaning travelers may need less time to get from arrival to gate compared with other major U.S. airports.

• Cleveland Hopkins International Airport (CLE): 59 minutes
• Oakland International Airport (OAK): 1 hour, 6 minutes
• San Antonio International Airport (SAT): 1 hour, 10 minutes
• St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL): 1 hour, 14 minutes
• Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport (MSY): 1 hour, 15 minutes

These airports generally handle lower daily holiday TSA volumes and have smaller passenger footprints than the airports at the top of the list. Still, holiday crowds can be unpredictable, so travelers should factor in their airline, terminal, checked bags, parking plans, and flight time before heading out.

Interested in how your airport fares when it comes to arrival times? Sift through our data for the airports we analyzed in the interactive table below. You can search directly to find a specific airport or sort the columns to see how yours stacks up.

Next, we’ll take a closer look at how TSA traffic changes at major U.S. airports during the holiday season, including the busiest days and hours to watch.

TSA Traffic During Holiday Periods in Major U.S. Airports

Extra time at the airport matters most when everyone else has the same plan. To see where and when holiday crowds build, we analyzed TSA screening data from the 2025 holiday travel period, covering the week of Thanksgiving and the 2 weeks around Christmas and New Year’s.

Airports With the Most Holiday TSA Throughput

The busiest airports during the holiday period were familiar names, but the volume is still striking. Below are the airports with the highest daily TSA throughput during the holiday season in 2025.

• Los Angeles International Airport (LAX): 101,914 daily screenings
• John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK): 93,721
• Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD): 84,858
• Orlando International Airport (MCO): 83,260
• Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL): 82,414

LAX’s position at the top of the list helps explain why it also ranked among the airports where holiday travelers should arrive earliest. Busy roads, a large terminal complex, its frustrating U-shaped traffic pattern, and the study’s highest TSA volume can make the trip from the curb to the gate feel like a journey of its own.

Busiest Holiday Travel Days

The days immediately after Christmas see the largest increases in security screening volume. The Sunday after Christmas (December 28) was the busiest TSA day for 10 of the 44 airports in the study, more than any other day analyzed.

The days around Thanksgiving brought another wave of crowds. The day before Thanksgiving (November 26) was the busiest day for 6 airports, while the Sunday before it (November 23) was the busiest day for 4 airports. Other peaks were spread across the days leading up to Christmas (December 22 and December 23), and 2 days after the holiday (December 27), illustrating just how long the holiday travel rush can last.

A few airports saw particularly sharp increases on their busiest days. Las Vegas saw TSA volume rise 42% above its holiday average on the Sunday before Thanksgiving (November 23), while New Orleans saw a 41% increase that same day. At LaGuardia, TSA traffic rose 40% above its holiday average on the day before Thanksgiving (November 26) in 2025.

Busiest Hours To Go Through TSA Checkpoints

Early flights may help travelers arrive at their destinations sooner, but they don’t necessarily mean a shorter security line. For 35 of the 44 airports in the study, the busiest TSA hour fell between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m.

• 5 a.m. was the peak screening hour at 18 airports
• 6 a.m. was the busiest hour at 9 airports
• 7 a.m. was the busiest hour at 8 airports

A few airports followed a different schedule. Miami’s busiest TSA hour was 6 p.m., while Dulles peaked at 4 p.m., and Honolulu at 11 a.m.

Holiday TSA traffic is not limited to 1 notorious travel day or 1 peak morning window. Crowds can build across several weeks, and the busiest time can vary widely by airport. Next, we’ll look at how holiday travelers prepare for the rush and which parts of the airport experience cause the most stress.

How Do Travelers Navigate Congested Holiday Airports?

Most travelers are aware of and plan around the fact that traffic at airports is worse around the holidays, but sometimes the stress can be too much. In a survey of 500 people who typically fly for the holidays, most respondents said they adjust their routines, build in more time, and take extra steps to avoid a last-minute sprint to the gate.

Three-Quarters of Travelers Arrive Earlier for Holiday Flights

For most travelers, the standard airport routine doesn’t cut it during the holiday rush. Among respondents, 77% said they arrive at least 15 minutes earlier for holiday flights than they would for a typical non-holiday trip.

• 36% arrive 1 to 2 hours earlier than usual.
• 22% arrive more than 2 hours earlier than usual.
• Just 20% said they arrive at about the same time.

Longer TSA lines were the leading reason travelers budget extra time, cited by 57% of respondents. Heavier traffic on the way to the airport followed at 48%, while 44% pointed to crowded terminals or difficulty finding their gate.

68% of Travelers Find Holiday Flying More Stressful

Arriving earlier does not necessarily make holiday travel feel easier. More than two-thirds of travelers said flying during the holidays is more stressful than flying at other times of year.

• 37% called holiday flying somewhat more stressful.
• 31% called it much more stressful.
• Only 8% said holiday flying was less stressful than other times of year.

TSA security was a clear source of anxiety, with 32% naming it the most stressful part of holiday airport travel. Getting to the airport on time and flight delays or cancellations tied for second at 15% each.

Those concerns were based on lived experience. Just over half of respondents said they have experienced a holiday flight delay of at least 1 hour. Another 47% have faced a security line long enough to make them worry about missing their flight.

TSA weighed especially heavily on older travelers. Among respondents 61 and older, 42% named security as the top holiday airport stressor, compared with 26% of travelers 18 to 28. Younger travelers were more likely to worry about the logistics outside the security checkpoint, including parking and finding their way through the terminal.

When the Extra Time Isn’t Enough

Even careful planning doesn’t always prevent a close call. About 1 in 5 holiday travelers said they have missed a flight because they arrived at the airport too late.

Among travelers who have missed a holiday flight, long TSA lines and traffic were nearly tied as the leading contributors, cited by 43% and 42%, respectively. Long airline check-in or bag-drop lines and traveling with children, family members, or a group each contributed for 31% of respondents.

Fortunately, travelers are not relying on extra time alone. When asked about the most helpful ways to avoid missing a flight, respondents pointed to a few practical moves:

• 50% said they checked in online before arriving.
• 38% said they checked bags as early as possible.
• 37% said they used TSA PreCheck, CLEAR, or another form of expedited security.
• 36% said the brought only a carry-on bag

The holiday airport experience may never feel completely predictable, but preparation can make it more manageable. A little more time, a streamlined check-in process, and a plan for security can go a long way toward keeping a busy travel day from becoming a missed-flight story.

Methodology

To determine the U.S. airports where passengers should arrive the earliest before their scheduled departure time during the 2026 holiday season, we analyzed data on 15 different factors that would impact a person’s ability to get to the airport, get through security, and get to their gate in a timely fashion.

We scaled each data point to allow for accurate comparisons across airports and weighted each factor based on its importance. The closer an airport’s score to 50, the earlier travelers should plan to arrive.

The preflight arrival time for each airport is an index calculated from the airport’s total score, using the generally recommended 2-hour arrival window for domestic flights as the median benchmark. All data points and analysis are based on domestic flights, with the majority of data points being specifically pulled for winter holiday periods (the week of Thanksgiving and the 2 weeks surrounding Christmas and New Year’s).

We started with a list of the 50 busiest U.S. airports by passenger volume and removed any that didn’t have reliable data across all 15 factors. That left us with 44 total airports in the study.

Part of the analysis looks deeper into TSA throughput during the holiday period. This data comes from the TSA and can be found in the agency’s reading room. Our analysis looked at daily holiday TSA throughput, peak days, and peak hours.

To round out the study, we surveyed a sample of 500 people who said they typically travel by plane for the holidays. We asked them questions about how increases in airport traffic impact their travel routines, increases in stress during holiday travel periods, and what the main causes of those stressors are. The survey ran for 1 week in October 2026.

Final Thoughts

Holiday travel brings fuller terminals, longer security lines, and less room for error. The airports that require the biggest buffer often pair heavy TSA traffic with sprawling layouts, high passenger volume, and busy roads outside the terminal.

Arriving early won’t eliminate every delay, but it can help travelers avoid one of the most frustrating holiday travel outcomes: missing a flight. Checking in online, packing light, and using expedited security programs can also help streamline the airport experience.

At Upgraded Points, the goal is to make every part of travel more rewarding. Whether that means using points for your next flight, finding the right travel rewards card, or getting through the airport with less stress, a little planning can go a long way.

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