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Airport security: the busiest hours
For each of 95 of the busiest US airports, see which hours of the day carry the most people through security, and which day of the week is heaviest. Built from the Transportation Security Administration's own hourly screening counts.
What this is, and is not. These are counts of passengers screened, not wait times. More people screened in an hour means the airport is busier then, not that you will wait a set number of minutes. Hours are local airport time. The counts cover 119 days between May 10, 2026 to October 10, 2026, so they describe May to early October, not winter or the main holiday periods.
| Airport | Busiest hour | Busiest 3 hours | Busiest day | Screened per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Los Angeles LAX | 8 am to 9 am | 7 am to 10 am | Friday | 96,764 |
| Chicago O'Hare ORD | 6 am to 7 am | 5 am to 8 am | Thursday | 96,727 |
| John F. Kennedy JFK | 4 pm to 5 pm | 3 pm to 6 pm | Thursday | 93,257 |
| Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta ATL | 7 am to 8 am | 6 am to 9 am | Friday | 86,677 |
| San Francisco SFO | 11 am to 12 pm | 10 am to 1 pm | Thursday | 75,071 |
| Dallas Fort Worth DFW | 7 am to 8 am | 6 am to 9 am | Thursday | 73,666 |
| Orlando MCO | 5 am to 6 am | 5 am to 8 am | Sunday | 69,950 |
| Denver DEN | 9 am to 10 am | 8 am to 11 am | Sunday | 68,987 |
| Newark Liberty EWR | 3 pm to 4 pm | 2 pm to 5 pm | Thursday | 67,638 |
| Boston Logan BOS | 6 am to 7 am | 5 am to 8 am | Friday | 67,237 |
| Harry Reid LAS | 11 am to 12 pm | 10 am to 1 pm | Sunday | 65,373 |
| Miami MIA | 6 pm to 7 pm | 4 pm to 7 pm | Sunday | 65,373 |
| Seattle-Tacoma SEA | 9 am to 10 am | 8 am to 11 am | Sunday | 62,688 |
| Phoenix Sky Harbor PHX | 7 am to 8 am | 6 am to 9 am | Thursday | 52,700 |
| George Bush Intercontinental IAH | 6 am to 7 am | 6 am to 9 am | Thursday | 50,970 |
| LaGuardia LGA | 6 am to 7 am | 5 am to 8 am | Thursday | 49,388 |
| Philadelphia PHL | 7 am to 8 am | 5 am to 8 am | Thursday | 39,747 |
| San Diego SAN | 5 am to 6 am | 5 am to 8 am | Sunday | 38,915 |
| Minneapolis-Saint Paul MSP | 5 am to 6 am | 5 am to 8 am | Thursday | 38,612 |
| Fort Lauderdale Hollywood FLL | 10 am to 11 am | 9 am to 12 pm | Sunday | 37,447 |
| Washington Dulles IAD | 3 pm to 4 pm | 2 pm to 5 pm | Friday | 36,364 |
| Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County DTW | 7 am to 8 am | 6 am to 9 am | Thursday | 35,527 |
| Charlotte Douglas CLT | 7 am to 8 am | 6 am to 9 am | Thursday | 33,531 |
| Ronald Reagan Washington National DCA | 6 am to 7 am | 5 am to 8 am | Friday | 32,440 |
| Nashville BNA | 6 am to 7 am | 5 am to 8 am | Sunday | 32,064 |
| Tampa TPA | 6 am to 7 am | 5 am to 8 am | Monday | 31,956 |
| Austin Bergstrom AUS | 6 am to 7 am | 5 am to 8 am | Thursday | 30,037 |
| Salt Lake City SLC | 9 am to 10 am | 8 am to 11 am | Sunday | 26,898 |
| Daniel K. Inouye HNL | 11 am to 12 pm | 10 am to 1 pm | Friday | 26,399 |
| Portland PDX | 9 am to 10 am | 4 am to 7 am | Monday | 25,723 |
| Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall BWI | 5 am to 6 am | 5 am to 8 am | Thursday | 25,042 |
| Raleigh-Durham RDU | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Friday | 24,343 |
| Luis Munoz Marin SJU | 1 pm to 2 pm | 12 pm to 3 pm | Monday | 21,265 |
| Chicago Midway MDW | 6 am to 7 am | 6 am to 9 am | Sunday | 19,870 |
| Sacramento SMF | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 19,231 |
| St. Louis Lambert STL | 7 am to 8 am | 5 am to 8 am | Thursday | 18,959 |
| Kansas City MCI | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 16,849 |
| John Wayne Orange County SNA | 6 am to 7 am | 5 am to 8 am | Thursday | 16,560 |
| Indianapolis IND | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 16,014 |
| Louis Armstrong New Orleans MSY | 6 am to 7 am | 4 am to 7 am | Sunday | 15,929 |
| Cleveland Hopkins CLE | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Sunday | 15,501 |
| Dallas Love Field DAL | 6 am to 7 am | 5 am to 8 am | Thursday | 15,480 |
| San Antonio SAT | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Friday | 15,256 |
| Pittsburgh PIT | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 14,945 |
| Mineta San Jose SJC | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Friday | 14,595 |
| John Glenn Columbus CMH | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 14,420 |
| Cincinnati Northern Kentucky CVG | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 14,401 |
| William P. Hobby HOU | 6 am to 7 am | 6 am to 9 am | Thursday | 13,710 |
| Southwest Florida RSW | 10 am to 11 am | 9 am to 12 pm | Thursday | 11,943 |
| President Donald J. Trump DJT | 10 am to 11 am | 9 am to 12 pm | Monday | 11,657 |
| Jacksonville JAX | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 11,455 |
| Ontario ONT | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 10,972 |
| Oakland San Francisco Bay OAK | 5 am to 6 am | 9 am to 12 pm | Friday | 10,902 |
| Bradley BDL | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 9,858 |
| Charleston CHS | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Sunday | 9,810 |
| Ted Stevens Anchorage ANC | 8 pm to 9 pm | 7 pm to 10 pm | Thursday | 9,721 |
| General Mitchell MKE | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 9,209 |
| Kahului OGG | 11 am to 12 pm | 10 am to 1 pm | Friday | 9,067 |
| Norfolk ORF | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Friday | 8,555 |
| Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope BUR | 6 am to 7 am | 5 am to 8 am | Friday | 8,492 |
| Buffalo Niagara BUF | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Sunday | 8,488 |
| Albuquerque International Sunport ABQ | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 8,270 |
| Boise Air Terminal/Gowen Field BOI | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Sunday | 8,074 |
| Eppley Airfield OMA | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 8,050 |
| Richmond RIC | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 7,814 |
| Reno Tahoe RNO | 4 am to 5 am | 4 am to 7 am | Sunday | 7,784 |
| Frederick W. Smith MEM | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Friday | 7,725 |
| Louisville Muhammad Ali SDF | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Friday | 7,318 |
| OKC Will Rogers World OKC | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 7,269 |
| Rhode Island T. F. Green PVD | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Monday | 6,828 |
| Gerald R. Ford GRR | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Monday | 6,804 |
| Spokane GEG | 4 am to 5 am | 3 am to 6 am | Sunday | 6,752 |
| McGhee Tyson TYS | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Sunday | 6,568 |
| Savannah Hilton Head SAV | 5 am to 6 am | 9 am to 12 pm | Sunday | 6,520 |
| El Paso ELP | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 6,159 |
| Myrtle Beach MYR | 9 am to 10 am | 8 am to 11 am | Sunday | 5,724 |
| Tulsa TUL | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 5,612 |
| Bozeman Yellowstone BZN | 11 am to 12 pm | 10 am to 1 pm | Sunday | 5,582 |
| Albany ALB | 4 am to 5 am | 4 am to 7 am | Monday | 5,414 |
| Sarasota Bradenton SRQ | 10 am to 11 am | 9 am to 12 pm | Monday | 5,367 |
| Portland International Jetport PWM | 4 am to 5 am | 4 am to 7 am | Sunday | 5,311 |
| Birmingham-Shuttlesworth BHM | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 5,310 |
| Tucson TUS | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 5,277 |
| Des Moines DSM | 4 am to 5 am | 4 am to 7 am | Monday | 5,199 |
| Ellison Onizuka Kona International Airport at Keāhole KOA | 11 am to 12 pm | 10 am to 1 pm | Friday | 5,198 |
| Long Beach LGB | 6 am to 7 am | 5 am to 8 am | Sunday | 5,055 |
| Frederick Douglass Greater Rochester ROC | 4 am to 5 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 4,714 |
| Lihue LIH | 11 am to 12 pm | 10 am to 1 pm | Friday | 4,550 |
| Fresno Yosemite FAT | 4 am to 5 am | 4 am to 7 am | Friday | 4,543 |
| Syracuse Hancock SYR | 4 am to 5 am | 4 am to 7 am | Sunday | 4,516 |
| Orlando Sanford SFB | 5 am to 6 am | 5 am to 8 am | Friday | 4,468 |
| Northwest Arkansas National XNA | 7 am to 8 am | 5 am to 8 am | Thursday | 4,325 |
| Dane County Regional Truax Field MSN | 5 am to 6 am | 5 am to 8 am | Monday | 4,267 |
| City of Colorado Springs Municipal COS | 11 am to 12 pm | 4 am to 7 am | Monday | 4,052 |
| Bill & Hillary Clinton National Airport/Adams Field LIT | 5 am to 6 am | 4 am to 7 am | Thursday | 4,048 |
Only airports with complete coverage and at least 4,000 people screened a day get a page. See the methodology.