For U.S. citizens returning to the states from overseas this week, they will be arriving in the thick of it, since Thanksgiving week is one of the busiest times of the year for air travel. But customs might not be that bad for passengers arriving at BWI Marshall and Dulles International Airport.
Arlington, Virginia-based Airside Mobile, developer of the Mobile Passport app that allows U.S. citizens to clear customs and immigration screening electronically, says BWI Marshall ranks No. 3 for speed of getting through customs and immigration for U.S. citizens.
The average wait time is just 5.2 minutes. The average maximum wait time for Thanksgiving week is 21.1 minutes. And just 0.43% of passengers wait 45 minutes or longer.
Much of that is likely because the number of international flights at BWI Marshall, while growing, is still a small share of overall flights. Mobile Passport estimates there will be 16,700 arriving U.S. citizens during the Thanksgiving travel window.
It also says Nov. 30 is the best day to arrive at BWI Marshall and the best time of day is 5 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Dulles, where the overwhelming majority of international flights depart and arrive in the Washington area, ranks No. 6 for speed of clearing.
The average wait time is 5.3 minutes, with an average maximum wait time of 23.4 minutes. An estimated 101,600 passengers will arrive from international destinations during Thanksgiving week.
During the Thanksgiving travel window in 2018, 2.9% of passengers waited 45 minutes or longer at Dulles.
Nov. 22 is the best international flight arrival date at Dulles and the best time to arrive is between 10 p.m. and 11 p.m.
The statistics are based on 2018 Thanksgiving travel data.
The top airports for the quickest clear time for U.S. citizens are Phoenix Sky Harbor, San Jose, BWI Marshall and Charlotte Douglas International.
The worst airports, based on 2018 data, are Newark Liberty, Miami International and San Francisco International.
Newark took the title in 2018 of the highest maximum wait time for arriving U.S. citizens, at three hours.
An estimated 3 million U.S. citizens are expected to arrive at U.S. airports on international flights during the period of Nov. 22 through Dec. 3.
