TSA wait times
ENSEA · Seattle-Tacoma International Airport
SEA TSA wait times: how busy will security be?
We forecast how many travelers each SEA 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 pickCheckpoint 1 (near A & S gates) should be moderately busy before your flight.
| Checkpoint | 6 AM | 7 AM | 8 AM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Checkpoint 1 (near A & S gates) Best bet | Moderate~345 travelers | Moderate~349 travelers | Calm~310 travelers |
| Checkpoint 3 (near A & S gates) | Moderate~714 travelers | Moderate~774 travelers | Moderate~719 travelers |
| Checkpoint 6 (near C, D & N gates) | Moderate~698 travelers | Calm~635 travelers | Calm~646 travelers |
| Checkpoint 4 (central, near B & C gates) | Moderate~517 travelers | Moderate~532 travelers | Moderate~513 travelers |
At SEA, 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 SEA 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 | 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 | 2/min | 2/min | 11/min | 33/min | 50/min | 65/min | 62/min | 61/min | 58/min | 58/min | 48/min | 42/min | 37/min | 41/min | 37/min | 42/min | 33/min | 29/min | 25/min | 27/min | 25/min | 15/min | 5/min |
| Tue | 2/min | 2/min | 10/min | 26/min | 42/min | 52/min | 55/min | 51/min | 49/min | 49/min | 41/min | 37/min | 35/min | 34/min | 30/min | 30/min | 25/min | 21/min | 18/min | 20/min | 24/min | 14/min | 7/min |
| Wed | 1/min | 2/min | 8/min | 30/min | 45/min | 54/min | 57/min | 53/min | 53/min | 54/min | 46/min | 37/min | 38/min | 39/min | 35/min | 41/min | 33/min | 26/min | 24/min | 24/min | 27/min | 15/min | 5/min |
| Thu | 2/min | 3/min | 9/min | 34/min | 52/min | 66/min | 67/min | 62/min | 62/min | 61/min | 50/min | 44/min | 43/min | 45/min | 47/min | 53/min | 43/min | 41/min | 34/min | 38/min | 39/min | 19/min | 7/min |
| Fri | 2/min | 2/min | 12/min | 37/min | 55/min | 68/min | 69/min | 61/min | 64/min | 61/min | 52/min | 39/min | 43/min | 45/min | 43/min | 48/min | 39/min | 36/min | 31/min | 30/min | 31/min | 16/min | 6/min |
| Sat | 2/min | 2/min | 11/min | 32/min | 48/min | 60/min | 60/min | 60/min | 57/min | 58/min | 48/min | 36/min | 35/min | 33/min | 27/min | 30/min | 22/min | 20/min | 18/min | 22/min | 24/min | 16/min | 6/min |
| Sun | 2/min | 2/min | 10/min | 30/min | 44/min | 55/min | 57/min | 59/min | 59/min | 57/min | 50/min | 42/min | 41/min | 43/min | 40/min | 47/min | 40/min | 41/min | 34/min | 33/min | 33/min | 19/min | 6/min |
Busiest days ahead
- Sunday, November 29: about 66,016 travelers screened
- Friday, December 18: about 65,453 travelers screened
- Wednesday, November 25: about 64,556 travelers screened
- Monday, December 21: about 64,209 travelers screened
- Wednesday, December 23: about 64,161 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 16% on average, and the busy level was right 79% 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.