Best and worst airports for international holiday travel? Sacramento makes this list, too
If you’re traveling to and from Sacramento International Airport this holiday season, know you’re likely in good hands.
A new study Upgraded Points, a travel guide, ranked the best and worst airports for international holiday travel, and SMF landed on the list as one of the best.
“In 2023, international travel rebounded significantly and surpassed 2019 levels for the first time since the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic,” Upgraded Points stated in its study. “As a result, experts predict a bustling winter holiday travel season this year.”
The guide rated 41 airports from across the country, analyzing data from the U.S. Customs and Border Protection. It looked at factors such as wait times for travelers at customs during winter 2022, the average maximum wait time for U.S. citizens and non-citizens, and the percentage of travelers that go through customs in under 15 minutes.
The Sacramento airport ranked No. 8 for best airports. It has an average wait time of 13.2 minutes and an average maximum wait time of 29.6 minutes.
This shouldn’t be a surprise for Sacramentans. SMF was placed at the top of the Wall Street Journal’s list of 2022’s best airports in the nation.
The No. 1 best international airport is John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, according to the Upgraded study. It has a 4.6-minute average wait time and its average maximum wait time is 11.4 minutes.
The top 10 best airports include other California spots. See the full list:
John Wayne Airport — Santa Ana
Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport — Phoenix
Palm Beach International Airport — West Palm, Florida
Baltimore/Washington International Airport — Baltimore
Fresno Yosemite International Airport — Fresno
Portland International Airport — Portland
Philadelphia International Airport — Philadelphia
Sacramento International Airport — Sacramento
Oakland International Airport — Oakland
Denver International Airport — Denver
As for the worst airport to travel during the holiday season, Seattle-Tacoma International Airport ranked No. 1 with an average wait time of 31.6 minutes and average maximum wait time of 74.4 minutes.
What do you want to know about life in Sacramento? Ask our service journalism team your top-of-mind questions in the module below or email servicejournalists@sacbee.com.
