This Airport Was Just Ranked the Best in the U.S. for International Holiday Travel

Palm Beach International Airport (PBI) may be delightfully tiny, but it punches far above its weight, especially when it comes to the year-end travel rush.

A new analysis by Upgraded Points ranked the West Palm Beach airport No. 1 in the nation for international holiday travel thanks to exceptionally short customs wait times. The company told Travel + Leisure passengers had to wait an average of just 3.8 minutes, the shortest of all 41 major airports analyzed.

What’s more, nearly nine in 10 travelers (or 87.1 percent) were processed in just 15 minutes or less, according to the study. And none waited more than an hour.

It is worth noting PBI only offers nonstop service to three international destinations: Marsh Harbour in the Bahamas and both Toronto and Montreal in Canada, according to the airport.

For its analysis, Upgraded Points drew on U.S. Customs and Border Protection (CBP) data from last year’s peak holiday travel stretch from the week before Christmas through New Year’s. While the company said demand this year should be steadier than the frenzied “post-pandemic ‘revenge travel’ era,” which airport travelers choose to fly into will still determine congestion and delays.

“Even with air travel demand normalizing in 2025, airport choice is still the biggest swing factor for customs wait times,” Alex Miller, the founder and CEO of Upgraded Points, said in a statement shared with T+L.

The report also found factors like arrival time can significantly impact wait times (travelers arriving between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. saw about 26 percent longer lines). Citizenship status also plays a role with non-U.S. citizens waiting 97 percent longer than their U.S. citizen counterparts.

Beyond PBI, California’s Orange County’s John Wayne Airport (SNA) had the second shortest wait times in the country with the average line taking 4.9 minutes to clear. That was followed by Arizona’s Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX), Missouri’s St. Louis Lambert International Airport (STL), and Oregon’s Portland International Airport (PDX) rounding out the top five.

On the other end of the spectrum was Orlando International Airport (MCO), which was ranked the worst airport in the country for international travel during the holidays. There, travelers waited an average of 32.7 minutes to get through the customs line and 12.6 percent of all passengers waited an hour or more.

Orlando was followed by Los Angeles International Airport (LAX), Nashville International Airport (BNA), Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD), and Austin–Bergstrom International Airport (AUS).