Columbia, South Carolina · security and when to leave
CAE TSA wait times by hour
TSA screens about 2,400 people a day at Columbia Metropolitan Airport. Its own hour-by-hour counts for Sep 6 to Oct 24, 2026 show when the lines build, and the calculator below turns that into the time to leave home.
Updated Oct 31, 2026By Steven MoHow we check Report a correction
Allow up to 30 min, 10 with PreCheck. About 290 people an hour
Allow about 15 min, 5 with PreCheck. About 10 people an hour
At the busiest time; 1 h 10 min when it's quieter
TSA's counts, Sep 6 to Oct 24, 2026
Quick answer
Allow up to 30 minutes for security at CAE at its busiest (4–6 AM) and about 15 in the 7–9 PM lull, or 10 and 5 with PreCheck. TSA doesn't publish wait times by airport, so these are planning allowances from its hourly counts of people screened, not live waits. Get to CAE about 1 h 25 min before a domestic flight around 6:30 AM, or 1 h 10 min before one around 8:30 PM, with just a carry-on. Add about 20 minutes to check a bag.
- Busiest hours
- 4–6 AM
- Quietest daytime hours
- 7–9 PM
- Busiest day
- Friday (quietest: Saturday)
- When it's open
- Screening at CAE picks up around 4 AM, lines build from about 4 AM and it winds down after 8 PM.
- Data
- TSA's counts of people screened, Sep 6 to Oct 24, 2026
Free deal alerts
Cheap flights from Columbia, South Carolina this week
We email you when fares from your airport drop well below normal. You book directly with the airline.
Crossed-out prices are the usual fare. Members get the travel dates and booking links.
When should I leave for CAE?
- 6:05 AM Drive to the airportincludes 5 min for traffic or delays35 min
- 6:40 AM Get dropped off at the terminal5 min
- 6:45 AM Security25 min
- 7:10 AM Walk to your gate5 min
- 7:15 AM Spare time for surprises15 min
- 7:30 AM At the gate when boarding starts30 min
Security at that time: busy in TSA's counts for an average day, so we allow 25 min. That's a planning allowance, not a live wait. How we calculate this
CAE security wait times by hour
People screened per hour across CAE's checkpoints, averaged over 7 weeks of TSA data (Sep 6 to Oct 24, 2026), and how long to allow for security in each hour. More people means longer lines, though TSA staffs up for the peaks, so read it as when lines build rather than exact waits.
- Quiet
- Moderate
- Busy
- Busiest
Wait times to allow, hour by hour
| Hour | People | Standard | PreCheck |
|---|---|---|---|
| 12 AM–1 AM | 0 | – | – |
| 1 AM–2 AM | 0 | – | – |
| 2 AM–3 AM | 0 | – | – |
| 3 AM–4 AM | 0 | – | – |
| 4 AM–5 AM | 258 | 30 min | 10 min |
| 5 AM–6 AM | 285 | 30 min | 10 min |
| 6 AM–7 AM | 207 | 25 min | 10 min |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 65 | 15 min | 5 min |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 145 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 184 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 127 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 126 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 176 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 173 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 174 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 159 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 157 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 108 | 20 min | 5 min |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 69 | 15 min | 5 min |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 16 | 15 min | 5 min |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 1 | – | – |
| 9 PM–10 PM | 0 | – | – |
| 10 PM–11 PM | 0 | – | – |
| 11 PM–12 AM | 0 | – | – |
Minutes are what we'd allow at that hour's level of traffic: planning allowances, not measured or live waits.
Security at CAE is busiest 4–6 AM, when about 290 people go through every hour: 31.7 times as many as in the 7–9 PM lull.
Friday is the busiest day (about 2,700 people) and Saturday the quietest (about 2,000). Screening at CAE picks up around 4 AM, lines build from about 4 AM and it winds down after 8 PM.
TSA reports its lines against 30 minutes: on the busy Fourth of July weekend in 2021, 99.7% of travelers in standard lanes waited less than that. So at CAE's busiest hours we plan for 30 minutes in the standard lane and 10 with PreCheck, and less when it's quieter.
How early to get to CAE
How long before departure to reach the airport if you're dropped off at the terminal. Flights around 6:30 AM hit security in its busiest hour; flights around 8:30 PM in a quieter stretch.
| Your trip | Flights around 6:30 AM | Around 8:30 PM |
|---|---|---|
| Domestic, carry-on only | 1 h 25 min | 1 h 10 min |
| Domestic, checking a bag | 1 h 45 min | 1 h 20 min |
| Domestic, carry-on, PreCheck or CLEAR | 1 h 5 min | 1 h |
Parking adds 15 to 25 minutes and returning a rental car about 30; the calculator above adds them for you. Most U.S. airlines close bag drop 45 minutes before domestic departures and 60 before international ones, and on holiday weekends we'd allow another 15 to 25 minutes. How we work these out
CAE security checkpoints
CAE screens departing travelers at one main checkpoint.
| Checkpoint (TSA's name) | Share of travelers | Busy from |
|---|---|---|
| CAE-A | 100% | 4 AM |
Getting through CAE security faster
- Fly Saturday, or at a time that reaches security in the 7–9 PM lull, if you can: CAE's checkpoints see about 10 people an hour then, against 290 at the peak.
- TSA PreCheck or CLEAR: in TSA's 2021 holiday-weekend figures 99% of PreCheck travelers waited under 5 minutes. In our plan it saves about 20 minutes at CAE's busiest hours.
- Checking a bag? The bag drop lines peak at the same hours as security, so add about 20 minutes then, and get there before your airline closes bag drop (usually 45 minutes before a domestic flight).
- On the first flights of the day, expect a line as soon as screening starts: lines at CAE build from about 4 AM.
CAE TSA wait times FAQ
About 1 h 25 min before departure with just a carry-on if your flight leaves around 6:30 AM, when security at CAE is busiest, or 1 h 10 min around 8:30 PM. Checking a bag, allow 1 h 45 min at the busiest times. That's for being dropped off at the terminal; add 15 to 25 minutes to park.
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.
- TSA FOIA reading room: TSA throughput data, people screened at every checkpoint, hour by hour (7 weekly files, Sep 6 to Oct 24, 2026)
- TSA throughput data, latest week used (to Oct 24, 2026)
- TSA: 99.7% of standard-lane travelers waited less than 30 minutes and 99% of PreCheck travelers less than 5 over the Fourth of July weekend (2021)
Read how we collect and check this data, or tell us if something's out of date.
Cheap flights from Columbia, South Carolina
Pick your home airports and we'll email you when fares drop well below normal. You book directly with the airline.
Free plan available · 14-day free Premium+ trial · Cancel anytime