15 Airports You Might Walk a Marathon to Reach Your Gate

When your flight is booked and paid for (ideally with one of the best travel credit cards ) and you’ve got your vacation itinerary set, the last thing you want to do is risk running late at the airport because you underestimated how big it is. Several of the most popular airports around the U.S. are downright huge.

To help you stay on track when traveling by air, FinanceBuzz researched the 15 major U.S. airports with the longest distance between security and the farthest gate.

15. Philadelphia International Airport (PHL)

John McAdorey/Adobe

Those traveling out of Philly’s international airport should pencil in some extra time to find their gate. While it’s nowhere near the longest stretch when it comes to international airports, a 10-minute walk from security to your gate is still quite a trek.

Walking time to farthest gate: 10 minutes

14. Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport (FLL)

Markus Mainka/Adobe

Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport, one of two hubs you may fly to if you’re heading to South Florida, tied Philly for how long it takes to get from the security line to the farthest gate at 10 minutes.

Walking time to farthest gate: 10 minutes

13. John Wayne Airport (SNA)

Adobe/Markus Mainka

Travelers wanting to avoid LAX might head to John Wayne Airport, located in Orange County, California, about 35 miles south of Los Angeles. But they may want to factor in a bit of extra time to find their gate as the walk to the farthest one averages 11 minutes.

Walking time to farthest gate: 11 minutes

12. Portland International Airport (PDX)

Bob/Adobe

Portland’s airport tied with John Wayne for the time it takes to walk from security to the farthest gate. Like many other major international hubs, travelers are advised to arrive two hours before departure for domestic flights and three hours before international flights.

Walking time to farthest gate: 11 minutes

11. Chicago Midway Airport (MDW)

Joe Hendrickson/Adobe

Chicago’s Midway Airport beat the area’s other major hub (Chicago O’Hare) for walking time between security and the farthest gate, with a walk that’s about 12 minutes. By comparison, it’s about nine minutes from security at O’Hare to the farthest gate.

Walking time to farthest gate: 12 minutes

10. Detroit Metro Airport (DTW)

James/Adobe

Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport is the largest airport in Michigan — and the distance from security to the farthest gate is quite large as well. Travelers who are unfortunately given the farthest gate can expect a 13-minute walk.

Walking time to farthest gate: 13 minutes

9. Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport (CVG)

Rick Lohre/Adobe

Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport is located in Kentucky but serves the larger region, including travelers coming from Kentucky, Ohio, and Indiana. But visitors should expect a trek — and a 13-minute walk — if their plane happens to be at the farthest gate from security.

Walking time to farthest gate: 13 minutes

8. LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

Adobe/valeriyap

LaGuardia Airport, located in Queens, is one of three major hubs serving the New York City area. You’ll need that New York City hustle if you end up at the farthest gate from security. Travelers can expect to be walking for 14 minutes on average.

Walking time to farthest gate: 14 minutes

7. Denver International Airport (DEN)

Carrie/Adobe

Denver International Airport tied LaGuardia at 14 minutes for the average time it takes to get from security to the farthest gate. The airport has some other hang-ups to be aware of, too.

A FinanceBuzz analysis found that it was the worst airport of the 50 largest hubs in the U.S. to catch a connecting flight due to terminal size and the huge distance between some gates.

Walking time to farthest gate: 14 minutes

6. Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL)

blvdone/Adobe

Tying major hubs in NYC and Denver at 14 minutes from security to the farthest gate is Hawaii’s main airport.

While it may be a far walk, it’ll no doubt be a beautiful one, as the Honolulu airport is surrounded by natural beauty the Hawaiian Islands are famous for.

Walking time to farthest gate: 14 minutes

5. Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport (MSP)

Joseph Creamer/Adobe

Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is not just one of the biggest airports in the Twin Cities, it’s one of the biggest in the country. The distance you’re going to be walking if you happen to get the gate farthest from security is also quite large.

Walking time to farthest gate: 16 minutes

4. Pittsburgh International Airport (PIT)

潔 丹野/Adobe

The great thing about Pittsburgh International Airport is their website has a tracker that lets you know how long you’ll be waiting to get through security at any given time. This can be particularly helpful if you happen to get the gate farthest from security.

Walking time to farthest gate: 18 minutes

3. Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD)

Nate Hovee/Adobe

Tying Pittsburgh at 18 minutes from security to the farthest gate is Washington Dulles International Airport, which is in Virginia, not far from downtown Washington, D.C.

Travelers should consider commuter traffic as well as the near 20-minute trek they may be making to find their gate.

Walking time to farthest gate: 18 minutes

2. Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT)

Red Lemon/Adobe

Another 18-minute walk awaits travelers who get the farthest gate from security when traveling through Charlotte’s airport. The airport did recently add new seating to concourse A, though, so there’s a place to rest if your in-airport travel is feeling a bit too strenuous.

Walking time to farthest gate: 18 minutes

1. Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)

eqroy/Adobe

When flying out of Salt Lake City, you may want to add some extra time to your travel plans.

SLC boasts the longest distance from security to the farthest gate of any major U.S. airport. But on the plus side, the airport does have a tracker on its website to help travelers gauge how long they’ll be waiting in security at any given time.

Walking time to farthest gate: 19 minutes

Bottom line

Petryshak/Adobe

When flying out of any of the airports where you may be walking nearly 20 minutes from security to your gate, consider arriving a bit earlier than normal.

Not all airports have long walks. In airports like Tampa (TPA), Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), and Raleigh-Durham (RDU), it takes just a few minutes to walk from security to the farthest gates.

If you are thinking of retiring early and plan to travel frequently, knowing how long you may need to walk from security to your gate may help your travel plans. And if you’re a parent traveling with small children, knowing the time between security and the gate could spare you a meltdown.

More from FinanceBuzz:

Can you retire early? Take this quiz and find out.