TSA wait times
ENSFO · San Francisco International Airport
SFO TSA wait times: how busy will security be?
We forecast how many travelers each SFO 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 A (International Terminal, A gates) should be calm before your flight.
| Checkpoint | 6 AM | 7 AM | 8 AM |
|---|---|---|---|
| Checkpoint A (International Terminal, A gates) Best bet | Calm~91 travelers | Calm~110 travelers | Calm~150 travelers |
| Checkpoint G (International Terminal, G gates) | Calm~288 travelers | Moderate~595 travelers | Moderate~549 travelers |
| Checkpoint D (Terminal 2) | Moderate~791 travelers | Moderate~957 travelers | Calm~573 travelers |
| Checkpoint B (Harvey Milk Terminal 1, departures level) | Moderate~839 travelers | Moderate~734 travelers | Calm~604 travelers |
| Checkpoint F1 (Terminal 3) | Moderate~918 travelers | Busy~1,225 travelers | Moderate~726 travelers |
At SFO, 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 SFO 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 | 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 | 11/min | 37/min | 57/min | 71/min | 82/min | 72/min | 89/min | 91/min | 84/min | 83/min | 63/min | 61/min | 57/min | 44/min | 48/min | 34/min | 37/min | 45/min | 51/min | 36/min | 10/min |
| Tue | 2/min | 7/min | 26/min | 44/min | 61/min | 71/min | 54/min | 72/min | 75/min | 75/min | 66/min | 44/min | 48/min | 46/min | 33/min | 36/min | 26/min | 29/min | 40/min | 44/min | 34/min | 11/min |
| Wed | 2/min | 8/min | 29/min | 49/min | 64/min | 77/min | 60/min | 76/min | 82/min | 80/min | 71/min | 53/min | 56/min | 53/min | 42/min | 46/min | 32/min | 38/min | 51/min | 56/min | 45/min | 11/min |
| Thu | 2/min | 12/min | 40/min | 59/min | 73/min | 85/min | 72/min | 83/min | 93/min | 90/min | 82/min | 65/min | 70/min | 67/min | 52/min | 61/min | 50/min | 55/min | 63/min | 67/min | 53/min | 13/min |
| Fri | 3/min | 13/min | 41/min | 67/min | 77/min | 88/min | 82/min | 91/min | 88/min | 86/min | 85/min | 61/min | 65/min | 64/min | 51/min | 54/min | 45/min | 47/min | 58/min | 60/min | 43/min | 13/min |
| Sat | 2/min | 10/min | 34/min | 52/min | 71/min | 89/min | 77/min | 91/min | 87/min | 81/min | 75/min | 53/min | 52/min | 47/min | 33/min | 39/min | 32/min | 35/min | 48/min | 52/min | 38/min | 12/min |
| Sun | 2/min | 10/min | 34/min | 51/min | 68/min | 84/min | 77/min | 90/min | 88/min | 88/min | 86/min | 61/min | 66/min | 66/min | 50/min | 61/min | 45/min | 49/min | 61/min | 60/min | 47/min | 11/min |
Busiest days ahead
- Friday, November 20: about 86,250 travelers screened
- Friday, December 18: about 85,712 travelers screened
- Monday, December 21: about 85,627 travelers screened
- Sunday, November 29: about 85,405 travelers screened
- Sunday, December 20: about 85,344 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 80% 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.