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TSA wait times · 205 airports

TSA wait times by airport, and when to leave

When security is busiest at 205 U.S. airports, from TSA's own hour-by-hour counts of everyone it screens (Sep 6 to Oct 24, 2026), and a calculator that works out when to leave home for your flight.

Updated Oct 31, 2026By Steven MoHow we check Report a correction

When should I leave for JFK?

Flight
Checking a bag?
Security lane
New York (JFK)
Leave by 5:45 AM
Reach the airport by 6:20 AM, 1 h 40 min before your flight.
  1. 5:45 AM Drive to the airportincludes 5 min for traffic or delays35 min
  2. 6:20 AM Get dropped off at the terminal5 min
  3. 6:25 AM Security30 min
  4. 6:55 AM Walk to your gate20 min
  5. 7:15 AM Spare time for surprises15 min
  6. 7:30 AM At the gate when boarding starts30 min

Security at that time: busiest in TSA's counts for an average day, so we allow 30 min. That's a planning allowance, not a live wait. How we calculate this

Live traffic to JFK JFK's official site JFK wait times by hour

Quick answer

For a domestic flight with just a carry-on, get to the airport 1 h 10 min to 1 h 40 min before departure, depending on the airport and how busy its security is at that hour; add 10 to 20 minutes to check a bag. For an international flight allow 2 h to 2 h 40 min. Nationwide, security is busiest 5–8 AM and 9 AM–1 PM.

Busiest hours nationwide
5–8 AM and 9 AM–1 PM
Busiest day
Thursday (quietest: Saturday)
People screened per day
About 2,426,900 at U.S. airports
Busiest checkpoints
Chicago (ORD): about 94,800 people a day

When airport security is busiest

People screened per hour at all 205 airports combined, on an average day (Sep 6 to Oct 24, 2026).

  • Quiet
  • Moderate
  • Busy
  • Busiest
See the numbers, hour by hour
HourPeopleHow busy
12 AM–1 AM3,908Quiet
1 AM–2 AM1,499Quiet
2 AM–3 AM1,898Quiet
3 AM–4 AM28,001Quiet
4 AM–5 AM121,764Busy
5 AM–6 AM178,421Busiest
6 AM–7 AM177,450Busiest
7 AM–8 AM154,332Busiest
8 AM–9 AM146,805Busy
9 AM–10 AM156,765Busiest
10 AM–11 AM154,991Busiest
11 AM–12 PM153,331Busiest
12 PM–1 PM152,034Busiest
1 PM–2 PM146,802Busy
2 PM–3 PM144,369Busy
3 PM–4 PM140,328Busy
4 PM–5 PM132,929Busy
5 PM–6 PM113,951Moderate
6 PM–7 PM91,028Moderate
7 PM–8 PM66,391Moderate
8 PM–9 PM45,430Quiet
9 PM–10 PM30,247Quiet
10 PM–11 PM19,249Quiet
11 PM–12 AM8,239Quiet

Nationwide, the most people go through security 5–8 AM and 9 AM–1 PM. Every airport has its own pattern, though: Hawaii's airports peak late in the morning and the big international gateways stay busy into the night, so check yours below.

Thursday is the busiest day at U.S. checkpoints (about 2,687,400 people) and Saturday the quietest (about 2,069,200).

TSA wait times at the 30 busiest airports

Busiest and quietest hours at security, and how early to get there for a domestic flight with a carry-on.

AirportBusiestQuietest daytimeArrive (busy / quiet)
Chicago (ORD)5–10 AM and 12–5 PM7–9 PM1 h 40 min / 1 h 30 min
Los Angeles (LAX)6 AM–12 PM5–7 PM1 h 40 min / 1 h 30 min
New York (JFK)6–7 AM and 2–7 PM10 AM–12 PM1 h 40 min / 1 h 35 min
Atlanta (ATL)6–9 AM and 2–4 PM7–9 PM1 h 40 min / 1 h 30 min
San Francisco (SFO)7–8 AM and 9 AM–1 PM6–8 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 25 min
Dallas–Fort Worth (DFW)6–11 AM and 4–5 PM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 30 min
Las Vegas (LAS)5–6 AM and 8 AM–1 PM6–8 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 25 min
Orlando (MCO)5–11 AM and 12–5 PM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 25 min
Denver (DEN)8–11 AM7–9 PM1 h 40 min / 1 h 25 min
Boston (BOS)5–8 AM and 2–5 PM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 25 min
Newark (EWR)5–8 AM and 2–5 PM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 25 min
Seattle (SEA)6 AM–12 PM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 25 min
Phoenix (PHX)6–8 AM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 20 min
Miami (MIA)8–11 AM, 12–1 PM and 2–7 PM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 30 min
Houston (IAH)6–7 AM, 8–9 AM, 10–11 AM and 1–2 PM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 25 min
New York (LGA)5–8 AM and 12–2 PM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 20 min
San Diego (SAN)5–6 AM6–8 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 25 min
Philadelphia (PHL)5–8 AM and 2–5 PM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 20 min
Minneapolis (MSP)5–8 AM and 1–2 PM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 20 min
Fort Lauderdale (FLL)9–11 AM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 25 min
Detroit (DTW)6–8 AM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 25 min
Nashville (BNA)5–9 AM and 11 AM–3 PM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 20 min
Charlotte (CLT)6–8 AM, 9–10 AM, 2–3 PM and 4–5 PM7–9 PM1 h 40 min / 1 h 30 min
Washington, D.C. (DCA)6–7 AM and 3–4 PM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 20 min
Tampa (TPA)5–7 AM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 20 min
Austin (AUS)5–8 AM, 10–11 AM and 1–2 PM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 20 min
Washington, D.C. (IAD)7–8 AM and 3–5 PM5–7 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 25 min
Salt Lake City (SLC)6–7 AM and 9–10 AM5–7 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 20 min
Portland (PDX)5–7 AM and 9–10 AM6–8 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 20 min
Baltimore (BWI)5–8 AM7–9 PM1 h 35 min / 1 h 25 min

All 205 airports

TSA wait times by hour and when to leave, by state.

Alabama

Alaska

Arizona

Arkansas

California

Colorado

Connecticut

Florida

Georgia

Guam

Hawaii

Idaho

Illinois

Indiana

Iowa

Kansas

Kentucky

Louisiana

Maine

Maryland

Massachusetts

Michigan

Minnesota

Mississippi

Missouri

Montana

Nebraska

Nevada

New Hampshire

New Jersey

New Mexico

New York

North Carolina

North Dakota

Ohio

Oklahoma

Oregon

Pennsylvania

Puerto Rico

Rhode Island

South Carolina

South Dakota

Tennessee

Texas

U.S. Virgin Islands

Utah

Vermont

Virginia

Washington

West Virginia

Wisconsin

Wyoming

How we work out when to leave

TSA doesn't publish wait times by airport. It does publish, every week, how many people each checkpoint at every U.S. airport screened in each hour. We average Sep 6 to Oct 24, 2026 into a typical week for each airport, so we know which hours are its busiest and which are quiet.

TSA reports its lines against 30 minutes, so at an airport's busiest hours we plan for 30 minutes in the standard lane and 10 with PreCheck, and less when its checkpoints are quieter. Then we add every other step between your door and the gate, worked back from your departure time.

Read the full method

  1. Getting from the car, train or curb into the terminal5 min dropped off, taxi or rideshare; 15 min park in a terminal garage; 25 min park in an economy lot; 30 min return a rental car; 5 min train or bus to the airport
  2. Checking a bag on a domestic flight10–20 min in line, depending on how busy the airport is (+10 on holidays)
  3. Checking in for an international flight (bags or the passport check)15–30 min, depending on how busy the airport is (+10 on holidays)
  4. Security, standard lane15 min when it's quiet, 20 moderate, 25 busy and 30 at the busiest hours (+15 on holidays)
  5. Security with TSA PreCheck or CLEAR5 min, or 10 at busy and peak hours (+5 on holidays)
  6. Walking from security to the gate5–20 min, depending on the airport's size
  7. Spare time for surprises15 min domestic, 30 min international
  8. At the gate when boarding starts30 min before a domestic departure, 45 before an international one

TSA wait times FAQ

With just a carry-on, 1 h 10 min to 1 h 40 min before departure, depending on the airport and the hour, if you're dropped off at the terminal. Add 10 to 20 minutes to check a bag and 15 to 25 to park. The common advice of 2 hours is a safe default at the busiest airports' peak hours.

Sources

Updated Oct 31, 2026 with TSA's counts for Sep 6 to Oct 24, 2026. TSA publishes these counts weekly with a delay of about a week, and staffing changes day to day, so check your airport's live wait before you leave.

Read how we collect and check this data, or tell us if something's out of date.

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