TSA wait times
ENATL · Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport
ATL TSA wait times: how busy will security be?
We forecast how many travelers each ATL security checkpoint will screen, hour by hour, from the official TSA throughput reports. Pick your flight time to see which checkpoint should be the least busy for you.
Forecasts, not live wait times. Busy levels compare each checkpoint with its own past year. Times are local airport time.
When is your flight?
Security checkpoints before a 9 AM departure on Tuesday, October 27
Foxy's pickDomestic Lower North should be moderately busy before your flight.
| Checkpoint | 6 AM | 7 AM | 8 AM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Domestic Lower North Best bet | Moderate~684 travelers | Moderate~639 travelers | Moderate~534 travelers |
| Domestic North | Moderate~630 travelers | Moderate~702 travelers | Moderate~673 travelers |
| Domestic Main | Moderate~1,411 travelers | Moderate~1,187 travelers | Moderate~1,078 travelers |
At ATL, every checkpoint leads to every concourse, so you can pick the least busy one. Checkpoints reserved for connecting passengers or private flights are not listed. Source: official airport website, checked 2026-10-09.
A typical week at ATL security
Travelers screened per minute, all checkpoints together, forecast average over the next four weeks. This is a flow of people, not a wait time.
Calm Moderate Busy compared with the rest of the week.
| Day | 3 AM | 4 AM | 5 AM | 6 AM | 7 AM | 8 AM | 9 AM | 10 AM | 11 AM | 12 PM | 1 PM | 2 PM | 3 PM | 4 PM | 5 PM | 6 PM | 7 PM | 8 PM | 9 PM | 10 PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 12/min | 38/min | 77/min | 104/min | 108/min | 93/min | 83/min | 68/min | 54/min | 75/min | 78/min | 78/min | 69/min | 61/min | 60/min | 53/min | 40/min | 29/min | 29/min | 15/min |
| Tue | 8/min | 25/min | 54/min | 78/min | 79/min | 72/min | 58/min | 48/min | 44/min | 65/min | 62/min | 62/min | 61/min | 52/min | 47/min | 37/min | 27/min | 20/min | 25/min | 10/min |
| Wed | 8/min | 26/min | 52/min | 80/min | 77/min | 76/min | 66/min | 54/min | 42/min | 65/min | 67/min | 69/min | 69/min | 60/min | 57/min | 47/min | 28/min | 23/min | 21/min | 6/min |
| Thu | 9/min | 34/min | 70/min | 96/min | 99/min | 91/min | 78/min | 61/min | 53/min | 73/min | 82/min | 85/min | 79/min | 74/min | 72/min | 66/min | 52/min | 36/min | 28/min | 9/min |
| Fri | 14/min | 39/min | 75/min | 100/min | 109/min | 103/min | 89/min | 63/min | 54/min | 79/min | 85/min | 87/min | 84/min | 68/min | 66/min | 63/min | 50/min | 33/min | 28/min | 11/min |
| Sat | 10/min | 31/min | 57/min | 86/min | 92/min | 91/min | 69/min | 51/min | 42/min | 60/min | 56/min | 56/min | 47/min | 48/min | 38/min | 29/min | 23/min | 20/min | 19/min | 7/min |
| Sun | 12/min | 35/min | 65/min | 88/min | 102/min | 96/min | 85/min | 63/min | 53/min | 79/min | 88/min | 95/min | 85/min | 84/min | 70/min | 72/min | 63/min | 38/min | 32/min | 12/min |
Busiest days ahead
- Sunday, November 29: about 96,742 travelers screened
- Monday, February 15: about 91,559 travelers screened
- Friday, November 20: about 88,910 travelers screened
- Friday, February 12: about 88,437 travelers screened
- Friday, April 2: about 88,204 travelers screened
How we forecast
Every week, the TSA publishes how many travelers each checkpoint screened, hour by hour. Our model learns each checkpoint's patterns from years of these reports (weekdays, seasons, holidays) and is retested every week against what really happened.
Tested on 2026: for the 3 hours before a departure, our forecasts were off by 18% on average, and the busy level was right 74% of the time. Treat them as typical conditions, not a guarantee.
Source: TSA throughput data (FOIA Reading Room), U.S. government work. Updated Oct. 27, 2026. For live wait times, see the official airport website.