1 in 3 Americans Are Delaying Trips Because of TSA Lines, New Study Finds

A new survey found long security waits, rising airfare, and airport stress are changing how many Americans plan trips in 2026.

For a lot of travelers, airport stress now starts well before boarding. It starts at security.

A new survey from LocalsInsider.com found that 37% of Americans have reconsidered or delayed a trip because of long TSA wait times, while 68% said they are arriving earlier than usual to deal with longer security lines. The average traveler said 45 minutes is the point when a TSA wait starts to feel unacceptable.

TSA’s Pay Issue May Be Easing, but Traveler Stress Is Still Here

That stat lands a little differently right now because TSA’s staffing mess has been in the news for a while. Reuters reported that TSA officers had gone about six weeks without pay during the Department of Homeland Security funding standoff before receiving retroactive pay on Monday, March 30. After that, absenteeism dropped sharply, though disruptions did not vanish overnight.

So even though pay has resumed for many TSA officers, that does not mean travelers suddenly feel everything is back to normal.

The same LocalsInsider.com survey found that 60% of Americans said TSA staffing shortages make them feel less safe flying right now. Another 48% ranked TSA lines among their biggest travel stressors, behind only the cost of airfare.

Rising Airfare Is Also Changing Travel Plans

And TSA lines are only part of the problem.

The survey also found that 63% of Americans expect to fly less in 2026 because of rising airfare, while 68% said flying is becoming unaffordable for them personally. Another 53% said they have already delayed or postponed a trip due to rising costs.

That broader price frustration lines up with federal airfare data. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics said the most recent national data, for the third quarter of 2025, showed the average U.S. domestic air fare at $370, while its airport-level fare tables show that some large airports were well above $400.

According to the study, Washington Dulles had the highest average airfare at $439.39, followed by Salt Lake City International at $434.16 and Charlotte Douglas at $432.16. San Francisco International and Houston’s George Bush Intercontinental also came in above $400.

Travelers Have a Clear Limit on What Feels “Too Expensive”

So even before travelers get to the checkpoint, plenty of them already feel like flying is too expensive to justify.

The survey found that Americans’ average round-trip domestic airfare budget is $402 per person. But once ticket prices hit $629, respondents said flights start to feel too expensive to justify.

That is not much wiggle room, especially for families, couples, or anyone booking close to departure.

For Many Travelers, It’s Not Just About Cost

There is also the safety angle. The survey found that 73% of Americans feel less safe flying internationally right now, and 45% ranked safety concerns among their biggest travel stressors.

In other words, it is not just that flying costs more right now. For a lot of people, it also feels like more of a hassle than it used to.

That helps explain why some travelers are changing how they get around. The survey found that 38% of respondents have switched to driving instead of flying to avoid high ticket prices, while 47% said they have booked earlier than usual to try to stay ahead of price increases.

None of this means people have stopped traveling. But it does suggest they are being a lot more selective about which trips are actually worth the cost, the lines, and the stress.

And for travelers already feeling worn down by the airport experience, that frustration is showing up in other ways too — from the airports with the worst delay records to new TSA screening changes that can really speed up the ID check process.

Read more: These 10 U.S. Airports Have the Worst Flight Delays, According to New Data

Read more: You Could Get Through the TSA ID Check in Under 10 Seconds Now — Here’s How