TSA wait times
ENJFK · John F. Kennedy International Airport
JFK TSA wait times: how busy will security be?
We forecast how many travelers each JFK 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 pickTerminal 1 should be calm before your flight.
| Checkpoint | 6 AM | 7 AM | 8 AM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Terminal 1 Best bet | Calm~16 travelers | Calm~45 travelers | Calm~161 travelers |
At JFK, each terminal has its own security: we only compare the checkpoints of Terminal 1. Source: official airport website, checked 2026-10-09.
A typical week at JFK 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 | 12 AM | 1 AM | 2 AM | 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 | 11 PM |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mon | 16/min | 7/min | 8/min | 18/min | 45/min | 73/min | 87/min | 80/min | 68/min | 65/min | 63/min | 53/min | 67/min | 69/min | 92/min | 87/min | 88/min | 86/min | 77/min | 68/min | 50/min | 34/min | 34/min | 25/min |
| Tue | 12/min | 4/min | 6/min | 14/min | 37/min | 57/min | 70/min | 67/min | 58/min | 57/min | 55/min | 47/min | 54/min | 59/min | 77/min | 76/min | 76/min | 74/min | 68/min | 58/min | 44/min | 32/min | 32/min | 27/min |
| Wed | 13/min | 5/min | 7/min | 15/min | 37/min | 59/min | 73/min | 68/min | 59/min | 57/min | 59/min | 47/min | 55/min | 61/min | 81/min | 80/min | 81/min | 81/min | 71/min | 60/min | 48/min | 33/min | 31/min | 28/min |
| Thu | 14/min | 5/min | 6/min | 17/min | 43/min | 69/min | 87/min | 77/min | 68/min | 63/min | 61/min | 51/min | 60/min | 67/min | 83/min | 85/min | 85/min | 88/min | 81/min | 74/min | 59/min | 37/min | 33/min | 28/min |
| Fri | 15/min | 5/min | 8/min | 17/min | 43/min | 71/min | 89/min | 80/min | 72/min | 60/min | 64/min | 53/min | 63/min | 67/min | 86/min | 85/min | 87/min | 88/min | 81/min | 73/min | 52/min | 36/min | 31/min | 23/min |
| Sat | 12/min | 5/min | 7/min | 18/min | 41/min | 69/min | 82/min | 74/min | 67/min | 60/min | 57/min | 51/min | 53/min | 58/min | 75/min | 79/min | 76/min | 78/min | 71/min | 64/min | 53/min | 41/min | 36/min | 30/min |
| Sun | 19/min | 5/min | 7/min | 16/min | 41/min | 66/min | 83/min | 78/min | 74/min | 68/min | 60/min | 53/min | 59/min | 65/min | 87/min | 89/min | 90/min | 91/min | 83/min | 73/min | 54/min | 37/min | 35/min | 29/min |
Busiest days ahead
- Tuesday, December 22: about 97,820 travelers screened
- Monday, December 21: about 97,818 travelers screened
- Monday, December 28: about 97,226 travelers screened
- Thursday, December 17: about 95,936 travelers screened
- Tuesday, December 29: about 94,652 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 14% on average, and the busy level was right 82% 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.