ArrivalZenWhen John F. Kennedy (JFK) is busiest at security
At John F. Kennedy International Airport in New York, NY, the busiest hour at security is 4 pm to 5 pm, local time, when about 6.7% of the day's screened passengers pass through. The busiest three hours in a row are 3 pm to 6 pm, carrying 20% of the day.
4 pmBusiest hour (starts at)
20%Of the day in the busiest 3 hours, 3 pm to 6 pm
ThursdayBusiest day. Tuesday is the lightest.
93,257Passengers screened per day, on average
Share of the day's passengers, by hour
Busiest hourLightest hour between 6 am and 10 pmOther hours
Between 6 am and 10 pm, the lightest hour is 9 pm to 10 pm, with 2.6% of the day. Hours before 6 am carry few passengers at most airports, but many checkpoints are closed or limited then, so a quiet count there is not a reason to turn up early.
Which day of the week
| Day | Screened per day | Compared with the average day | Busiest hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Monday | 94,089 | +1% | 5 pm to 6 pm |
| Tuesday | 85,741 | -8% | 2 pm to 3 pm |
| Wednesday | 90,276 | -3% | 4 pm to 5 pm |
| Thursday | 99,327 | +7% | 6 am to 7 am |
| Friday | 97,915 | +5% | 4 pm to 5 pm |
| Saturday | 90,333 | -3% | 3 pm to 4 pm |
| Sunday | 95,120 | +2% | 5 pm to 6 pm |
Counts of people, not minutes of waiting. The Transportation Security Administration publishes how many passengers it screened each hour. It does not publish wait times in this data, so we cannot tell you how long a line will take. Use this to see when the airport is heaviest, then follow your airline's advice on how early to arrive. This page uses 119 days of counts between May 10, 2026 to October 10, 2026, so it reflects May to early October, not winter or the main holiday periods.
How these figures are built is on the methodology page.