Guam Airport: Three Hours at Immigration and Patchy WiFi for Travellers

Travellers connecting through Guam should plan for lengthy US border checks and unreliable airport WiFi, a recent passenger account of Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport shows. The traveller spent three hours being screened by US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) after landing on a United Airlines flight from Yap, in the Federated States of Micronesia.

Key facts

• Airport: Antonio B. Won Pat International Airport, on the US territory of Guam in Micronesia
• Hub carrier: United Airlines; Asia Pacific Airlines uses the airport as a cargo hub
• Network: United operates around 87 weekly flights from Guam to 14 Asia Pacific destinations
• 2025 traffic: approximately 1.8 million passengers, excluding transit passengers
• Car rental deposit: $100, payable in cash or by credit card
• Terminal: completed in 1998

What should travellers expect at immigration?

The United Boeing 737 MAX 8 flight from Yap touched down at 4:00 AM, and the immigration hall was largely empty, processing only passengers from the half-empty aircraft. Even so, the traveller — who has visited more than 100 countries, including Iran, Iraq and Pakistan — spent three full hours being questioned, compared with one hour of questioning on a previous visit to the United States.

Screening included a detailed search of checked baggage and an hour spent scrolling through chats on a phone. The traveller described the CBP officers as professional and said nothing rude or unprofessional was observed during the questioning of other passengers.

Which flights and routes does Guam offer?

United Airlines operates the airport's domestic and regional services with Boeing 737s, linking Guam to Palau, the four states of the Federated States of Micronesia — Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei and Kosrae — and the Marshall Islands at Kwajalein and Majuro, as well as the Northern Mariana Islands. United flies direct from Guam to Yap, Palau, Rota and Saipan, and its Island Hopper service continues to Honolulu.

East Asian links include four routes to Japan (Tokyo twice, Nagoya and Osaka), Seoul and Busan in South Korea, Taipei and Manila. Asia Pacific Airlines runs a cargo route to Hong Kong. The only route to the United States proper is Honolulu, and there are no flights to Polynesia, Australia, New Zealand, Melanesia, Nauru or Kiribati. Korean Air, Japan Airlines, Philippine Airlines, Jin Air and Air Busan also serve the airport; Delta, Southwest, Alaska, American and Hawaiian do not.

For one traveller, United offered Guam–Hawaii flights on 7 January: a direct seven-hour option at $1,163 one-way in economy, and a 15-hour itinerary with five stops at $1,170.

How do car rental and WiFi work at the airport?

Car rental desks sit on the lower floor near the exit, with vehicles parked a few feet from the terminal. Companies listed include Avis, Budget, Alamo, Enterprise, National, Hertz, SIXT, Nissan (which includes Economy), Dollar and GOGO. Only a $100 deposit was required, payable in cash or by credit card, and at least one kiosk — Economy Rent a Car — was open 24/7, allowing a 7:30 AM pick-up and a 2:30 AM drop-off.

WiFi was the main weakness. The traveller could not connect on arrival, found a strong signal in the main food court on departure, but lost the ability to send or receive messages near the boarding gates and had to walk back to the food court to get online.

How busy is Guam's airport?

Official figures cited for the airport show 32,968 aircraft movements in 2025, down from approximately 60,000 in 2019, against a capacity of roughly 3 million passengers. Traffic was approximately 1.8 million passengers in 2025, excluding transit passengers, and the account describes the airport's influence on East Asian tourism as declining.

What this means for travellers

Passengers arriving in Guam should allow plenty of time for CBP screening, which can include searches of checked baggage and inspection of phone contents. Those relying on airport WiFi should not count on connectivity near the gates, while car rental pick-up and drop-off is described as quick and straightforward with a $100 deposit.

Guam remains the main air gateway for Micronesia, so travellers heading to Yap, Chuuk, Pohnpei, Kosrae, Palau, Kwajalein or Majuro will most likely pass through this airport. No changes to entry procedures or flight schedules are announced in the account.