Los Angeles International Airport Joins Orlando, Palm Beach, John Wayne, Phoenix Sky Harbor And More Airports To Slash Your Customs Wait Times This Holiday Season, The Ultimate Us Airport Travel Secrets For You!

Published on November 20, 2025

This vacation season, Los Angeles International Airport joins Orlando International Airport, Palm Beach International Airport, John Wayne Airport, Phoenix Sky Harbor, and galore much airports to slash your customs hold times. These airports person travel together to make your vacation recreation faster and little stressful. With their ultimate U.S. airdrome recreation secrets, you tin breeze done customs without nan accustomed agelong delays. Los Angeles International Airport and its partners are implementing smart strategies and offering expedited services to guarantee that you walk little clip waiting and much clip enjoying your trip. By choosing nan correct airdrome and pursuing these recreation secrets, you tin bask a smoother experience. These airports are moving difficult to create a seamless, businesslike journey for each traveller this vacation season. So, get fresh to prevention clip and make nan astir of your recreation pinch these insider tips!

Why Airport Choice Is Key: The Wide Range of Wait Times

Did you cognize that hold times astatine U.S. airports during nan wintertime vacation play tin alteration dramatically? While nan mean hold clip for world passengers is 22 minutes, immoderate airports for illustration Palm Beach International (PBI) boast hold times of conscionable 3.8 minutes, while others, for illustration Orlando International (MCO), person agelong waits stretching beyond 30 minutes. It’s not conscionable astir nan airport’s size aliases postulation measurement — factors for illustration staffing, nan clip of day, and operational ratio each play a role.

For travellers headed overseas this vacation season, choosing nan correct airdrome is nan cardinal to a little stressful journey. Let’s look astatine nan capacity of immoderate of nan awesome U.S. world airports and break down which ones connection nan fastest customs processing.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX): The Busy Giant pinch Long Waits

When it comes to world travel, Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is 1 of nan busiest and astir well-known airports successful nan U.S. It serves arsenic a awesome gateway for travellers entering nan U.S. from countries astir nan world. However, contempt its size and importance, LAX is besides 1 of nan airports wherever you’re astir apt to look agelong delays.

During nan 2024 wintertime vacation period, LAX’s mean hold time was reported to beryllium quite high, pinch galore passengers waiting over 30 minutes to clear migration and customs. The airdrome has a ample number of world flights arriving astatine akin times, which contributes to congestion. Despite efforts to amended nan travel of travellers, nan precocious measurement of passengers often creates important bottlenecks astatine nan customs halls.

While LAX remains a celebrated prime for world flights, travellers should beryllium prepared for nan anticipation of longer hold times, particularly during highest hours betwixt 5 a.m. and 3 p.m.. For a faster experience, it’s recommended to either get during off-peak hours aliases return advantage of expedited programmes for illustration Global Entry and Mobile Passport Control.

The Airports pinch nan Shortest Wait Times: A Better Alternative

Palm Beach International Airport (PBI)

If you’re looking for a smoother introduction into nan U.S. without agelong waits, Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) is your champion bet. Despite its smaller size, PBI is consistently classed arsenic 1 of nan astir businesslike airports erstwhile it comes to clearing world passengers. During nan 2024 wintertime vacation season, PBI recorded nan shortest mean hold time astatine conscionable 3.8 minutes.

The logic for this ratio is simple: PBI is simply a smaller airdrome pinch less world flights arriving astatine nan aforesaid time, allowing for faster processing astatine immigration. While smaller airports for illustration PBI whitethorn not connection arsenic galore formation options arsenic awesome hubs for illustration LAX aliases MCO, nan use of reduced hold times makes it a beardown contender for travellers who worth convenience and speed.

John Wayne Airport (SNA)

Another airdrome that consistently delivers accelerated processing is John Wayne Airport (SNA) successful California. Despite being a smaller airdrome compared to LAX, SNA is known for its businesslike operations and debased rider volume. During nan 2024 wintertime vacation season, SNA’s mean hold time was conscionable 4.9 minutes, making it 1 of nan apical performers successful nan U.S.

SNA’s smaller size and little congested world flights mean passengers tin clear customs without nan agelong waits emblematic of larger airports for illustration LAX. If you person nan action to alert into Orange County, SNA is simply a awesome prime for avoiding customs bottlenecks while still offering convenient entree to Southern California.

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)

Despite being 1 of nan busiest airports successful nan U.S., Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) has managed to support a precocious level of ratio erstwhile it comes to migration and customs processing. During nan 2024 wintertime vacation period, PHX had an mean hold clip of 7 minutes.

PHX’s occurrence successful keeping hold times debased tin beryllium attributed to its well-coordinated operations and usage of technology. Even pinch a precocious measurement of world passengers, PHX has invested successful businesslike systems to guarantee passengers don’t get stuck successful agelong lines. If you’re passing done Phoenix, you’ll apt person a quicker and much pleasant acquisition compared to awesome hubs for illustration LAX.

Why Wait Times Vary So Much Across U.S. Airports

You whitethorn beryllium wondering, “Why do immoderate airports person specified agelong waits, while others are overmuch quicker?” The reply lies successful a fewer cardinal factors:

Passenger Volume

Larger airports for illustration LAX and MCO often acquisition longer hold times because galore world flights get successful a concentrated model of time. This precocious rider measurement creates bottlenecks astatine migration and customs. Smaller airports for illustration PBI and SNA thin to process passengers much quickly because location are less flights arriving astatine nan aforesaid time, starring to shorter lines and faster service.

Staffing and Operational Efficiency

The expertise of an airdrome to process passengers efficiently depends mostly connected nan staffing and exertion successful place. Airports pinch larger operations, for illustration LAX, whitethorn struggle to support up pinch nan request during highest hours, starring to longer waits. On nan different hand, airports for illustration PHX and SNA, which are known for their businesslike staffing and processes, tin grip a precocious measurement of travellers without agelong delays.

Time of Day

The clip of time you get astatine an airdrome plays a important domiciled successful really agelong you’ll person to wait. Arriving betwixt 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. tends to consequence successful longer waits, arsenic that’s erstwhile nan mostly of world flights arrive. Arriving during off-peak hours, either early successful nan greeting aliases precocious astatine night, tin thief you debar nan busiest times and shorten your hold astatine customs.

Citizenship Status

U.S. citizens mostly clear migration and customs much quickly than non-U.S. citizens. On average, U.S. citizens hold 15.1 minutes, while non-U.S. citizens hold 29.8 minutes. This important quality successful hold times is important to support successful mind erstwhile readying your travel.

How to Speed Up Your Experience astatine Customs and Immigration

While airdrome prime is crucial, location are a fewer different steps you tin return to guarantee a quicker travel done customs.

1. Use Expedited Programs

Global Entry is 1 of nan champion ways to velocity done migration and customs. This programme allows approved travellers to usage automated kiosks, bypassing agelong lines. The Mobile Passport Control app is different action that speeds up nan process astatine complete 30 U.S. airports. Both of these programs tin importantly trim your hold time, particularly during engaged periods for illustration nan vacation season.

2. Arrive Early aliases Late

If you want to debar agelong lines, see arriving early successful nan greeting aliases precocious astatine night. These times are typically little engaged than nan highest model of 5 a.m. to 3 p.m. During these quieter periods, location are less world flights arriving astatine once, truthful you’ll acquisition shorter lines astatine migration and customs.

3. Choose Smaller Airports

If you person elasticity successful your formation plans, effort flying into smaller airports for illustration PBI, SNA, aliases PHX. These airports thin to person overmuch shorter hold times than larger, busier hubs for illustration LAX and MCO. While you whitethorn person less formation options, nan clip you prevention successful customs could make it worthy nan trade-off.

4. Build successful Extra Time

Even if you take an airdrome pinch shorter hold times, it’s still important to build successful immoderate other time successful lawsuit location are unexpected delays. Immigration and customs lines tin up and down depending connected factors for illustration staffing, weather, and formation schedules. Arriving astatine nan airdrome earlier than basal ensures that you won’t miss your adjacent relationship aliases flight.

Conclusion: Your Strategy for a Faster Holiday Travel Experience

The wintertime vacation play is simply a engaged clip for world travellers heading to nan U.S., but it doesn’t person to beryllium a stressful experience. By choosing nan correct airport, arriving astatine nan optimal time, and taking advantage of expedited programs, you tin importantly trim your clip spent successful customs and immigration.

If you want to debar agelong waits, see flying into Palm Beach International (PBI) aliases John Wayne Airport (SNA), wherever you’ll acquisition shorter hold times. If you’re flying done awesome hubs for illustration Los Angeles International (LAX) aliases Orlando International (MCO), beryllium prepared for longer waits, particularly during highest hours. Regardless of your destination, making smart choices astir airdrome and presence times tin thief you get done customs quickly and commencement your vacation stress-free.

Source: Upgraded Points