SEATTLE — If you’ve been to an airport during the winter holiday season, you’ve likely experienced the usual holiday horrors: weather delays, canceled flights, terrible lines, and disastrous crowds.
With the stress of traveling abroad and having to consider factors such as customs and citizenship status, holiday travel can be downright scary.
Flying into and out of Seattle-Tacoma International Airport can be a real nightmare, according to one recent study.
Seattle-Tuck Airport is ranked as the worst airport in the country for international travel this winter holiday season (from the week before Christmas to New Year’s Day), according to a ranking by the travel guide site Upgrade Points.
According to the survey, international travel is expected to exceed 2019 levels for the first time since the start of the coronavirus pandemic.
The study analyzed 41 major international airports in the country based on data from U.S. Customs and Border Protection. Researchers looked at how long travelers wait at customs, the average maximum wait times for U.S. citizens and non-citizens, and the percentage of travelers who clear customs within 15 minutes.
According to the study, SeaTac ranked worst for international travel last year with an average wait time of 31.6 minutes during the winter holiday season. The national average wait time was just under 23 minutes.
But at SeaTac, the typical metric of long wait times may not tell the whole story.
Customs will manage Sea-Tac’s international arrivals facility, which opens in 2022, said airport spokeswoman Perry Cooper.
Cooper said the facility was designed to be the first “bag-first” facility at a large domestic hub airport, referring to the process by which international travelers collect their bags before meeting customs officials.
The process, first introduced by Customs at several smaller airports, reduces the amount of paperwork travelers have to fill out, ensures they only speak to one customs officer and, of course, only collects their luggage once, initially. It aims to streamline the international arrival process.
Waiting times used in the study were measured from the time a traveler deplaned until they arrived at customs, and SeaTac travelers went to customs last, resulting in a “longer wait and baggage claim process.” “It will be,” Cooper said. .
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Customs spokesman Jason Givens said the investigation “incorrectly reported excessive wait times that were not based on actual date and time stamps from (Customs’) automated systems.”
Orlando, which has the fourth-longest wait times, is also a “bag-first” airport, Cooper added.
Unlike most U.S. airports, SeaTac also added international flights during the pandemic (with airlines like Qatar, Turkey, Finnair, and Tahiti Nui) and now offers more international service than before the pandemic. Cooper said.
Sea-Tac’s international travel numbers have already exceeded pre-pandemic levels this year (and this summer set a record for the busiest day in international travel history), a level that most airports nationwide have not reached. , Cooper said.
Airport officials expect Sea-Tac passenger traffic this winter holiday season to increase about 11% from 2022, approaching pre-pandemic levels. Passenger numbers are expected to peak on Saturday, with a total of 158,000 departing, arriving and connecting passengers. The post-Christmas Tuesday (157,000 people) and Wednesday (155,000 people) are also expected to be especially crowded.
Miami and Austin airports ranked second and third worst for international travel this season, with average wait times of 30.6 minutes and 29.2 minutes last year.
Orange County’s John Wayne Airport reported the shortest average wait time for the 2022 winter holidays at 4.6 minutes, but researchers say the international airport is among the nation’s smallest in terms of passenger volume. He said it was worth paying attention to.
Meanwhile, SeaTac ranks 14th in total international travel, but the study found no strong correlation between immigration wait times and airport size.
Rather, the study found that factors such as time of arrival and citizenship status have a significant impact on how long it takes travelers to cross international checkpoints. Arrivals between 5 a.m. and 3 p.m. will result in longer wait times compared to other times, and if you are not a U.S. citizen, you can expect to wait nearly 70% longer.