- One in five frequent holiday travellers has missed a flight after arriving at the airport too late
- Denver International Airport requires the earliest recommended arrival time of three hours and 35 minutes
- Long TSA lines and car traffic were the most common reasons cited
- The study surveyed 500 frequent holiday flyers
- Checking in online and travelling with carry-on luggage were recommended
A new study from Upgraded Points has found that one in five frequent holiday travellers has missed a flight after arriving at the airport too late. At many major US airports travellers may need to arrive more than three hours early. Denver International Airport requires the earliest recommended arrival time of three hours and 35 minutes. The study analysed 15 factors affecting the preflight experience including parking availability, TSA wait times, terminal size and departure delays.
The most common reasons frequent holiday travellers missed a flight were long TSA lines at 43pc, car traffic at 42pc, long baggage lines at 31pc and travelling with children or family at 31pc. Besides arriving earlier frequent holiday travellers recommend checking in online before arriving, checking bags as early as possible, using TSA PreCheck or similar programmes and travelling with just a carry-on bag instead of checking a bag.
Dallas Fort Worth International Airport requires arrival three hours and 32 minutes before flights followed by George Bush Intercontinental Airport at three hours and 29 minutes, Chicago O’Hare International Airport at three hours and 26 minutes and Los Angeles International Airport and John F Kennedy International Airport at three hours and 21 minutes. Of the 44 busiest US airports analysed 23pc processed the highest volume of travellers during the 2025 holiday season at TSA checkpoints on the Sunday after Christmas.
