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New study reveals the US airports where you need to arrive the earliest to avoid travel stress- See the list

By
Published  January 6, 2026 8:47am MST
Travel
FOX Local
article

A traveler walks past departure monitors, only showing a few cancelled flights, on Friday, Nov. 7, 2025, at Denver International Airport in Denver. (Getty Images Photo by Timothy Hurst/The Denver Post)

The Brief

    • A new study by Luxury France Tours looked at which U.S. airports consistently demand the earliest arrival times.
    • The study analyzed key factors including TSA wait times, passenger volume to airport size, parking infrastructure, and flight delays.
    • Data from the Transportation Security Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Federal Aviation Administration, and Google Maps, was used in the study.

When it comes to air travel, passengers need to take into account how early they should arrive at the airport taking into account parking, passenger volume, and security wait times.  A new study by Luxury France Tours reveals the U.S. airports where passengers need to arrive early to avoid trip disruptions.
 

Travelers move through a TSA security screening line at Orlando International Airport on the day before Thanksgiving in Orlando.(Photo by Paul Hennesy/Anadolu via Getty Images)

Dig deeper:

The study analyzed seven key factors: 

  • TSA wait times
  • Passenger volume
  • Airport size
  • Number of gates
  • Number of terminals
  • Parking infrastructure
  • Flight delays 

By the numbers:

By analyzing the seven key factors, the study found which airports travelers need to build in the biggest buffer to reduce stress as they park, move through check-in, TSA security, and boarding.

Topping the list is Denver International (DEN) due to its massive size, heavy passenger traffic, and a high number of delayed flights.

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) ranks second due to its complexity, TSA wait times, and passenger volume.

Orlando International Airport (MCO) and Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) are in the top five due to especially long TSA wait times.

Nashville International Airport (BNA) rounds out the top five due to long TSA wait times and only having 21 gates.

What we know:


Study Methodology

This study evaluated seven metrics to rank U.S. airports based on how early travelers should arrive. Each metric was assigned a specific weight, standardized, scored, and combined to produce a final composite ranking.

Metrics and their weights:

  • Average TSA security wait times — 25
  • Number of passengers  — 20
  • Airport size (acreage) — 15
  • Number of gates — 10
  • Number of terminals — 10
  • Parking lots  — 10
  • Share of delayed departures — 10

Sources: Transportation Security Administration, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Federal Aviation Administration, and Google Maps.

The Source: Information in this article was provided by Luxury France Tours.  This story was reported from Orlando.

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