Atlanta (ATL) TSA wait times
Security at Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport is running about 23 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 15 to 35 minutes at noon on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 8 minutes.ATL security is about 23 minutes now, usually 15 to 35 at this hour. Busiest 6 to 8 AM and 1 to 3 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 15 to 35 minutes now
Down 3 min since 6 am.
How long is security at Atlanta, and when is ATL busiest?
So how long is security at Atlanta? The left chart shows the Atlanta security wait time hour by hour, built from ATL's own departure schedule. The right ranks the days of the week by how long the wait gets. The calmest window is 10 AM to 2 PM; plan around the 6 to 8 AM and 1 to 3 PM rushes.Calmest 10 AM to 2 PM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through ATL? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Chattanooga (CHA) and Birmingham (BHM), or every airport in Georgia.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| noon (Now) | 49 flights | 23 min |
| 1 pm | 55 flights | 27 min |
| 2 pm | 60 flights | 30 min |
| 3 pm | 54 flights | 26 min |
| 4 pm | 49 flights | 23 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Flying out of Atlanta: what to know
The checkpoints, and how they connect
Atlanta screens out of one Domestic Terminal plus the Maynard H. Jackson International Terminal on the east side. The Main checkpoint, in the center of the Domestic atrium, is the biggest and busiest and runs around the clock; the North and South checkpoints flank it. You can reach any of the seven concourses (T, A, B, C, D, E and F) from any Domestic checkpoint, because the Plane Train links them all after security, so clearing at a quieter checkpoint and riding to your gate is a genuine option rather than a gamble.
PreCheck and CLEAR at ATL
TSA PreCheck lanes run at the Domestic checkpoints, typically from about 5 am to 9 pm at Main. CLEAR pods sit in the Domestic Terminal near the North and South checkpoints. If you hold PreCheck and fly international out of Concourse F, you can still clear at the Domestic checkpoint and take the Plane Train across, which is often faster than heading straight for the international terminal at peak.
When it is worst, and a shortcut
As the world's busiest airport and Delta's largest hub, ATL's Main checkpoint backs up hardest in the early-morning bank, roughly 5 am to 9 am, and again in the late-afternoon push, about 4 pm to 8 pm; summer and the Thanksgiving week stack on top of that. If your gate is on Concourse T or A, the North or South checkpoint is frequently a shorter walk and a shorter line than fighting the Main atrium at the peak.
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
ATL security, common questions
How early should I get to ATL?
For a domestic flight out of Atlanta, plan to be inside the terminal about an hour and a quarter before departure, and about an hour and a half for an international one. That covers a 25 to 50 minute checkpoint queue at the Monday peak plus the walk to the gate. Outside the peak you can safely trim it; the calculator above works it out from your actual departure time.
What is the busiest time at ATL security?
Monday around 7 am, when 64 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Sunday at 4 am, at roughly 6 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at ATL?
At the Monday peak it turns a 25 to 50 minute queue into something closer to 12 minutes. Over a five year membership that is worth it if you fly more than about three round trips a year through an airport this busy. The trusted traveler calculator prices it against your own flying.
When does security open at ATL?
Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport does not publish checkpoint opening hours in any national feed, so we will not invent them. What the schedule does show is that the first departures leave around 2 am, and checkpoints generally open about two hours before the first flight of the day.
How long is security at Atlanta?
At the Monday peak around 7 am, the standard lane at ATL typically runs 25 to 50 minutes. Away from the peak it settles to roughly 6 minutes. These are modeled from the airport's own departure schedule, so they move hour by hour, which is what the chart on this page shows.
How much time does PreCheck save at ATL?
At the busy Monday peak, PreCheck turns the standard 25 to 50 minute wait into about 12 minutes, a saving of roughly 25 minutes when it matters most. Off-peak the two lanes are much closer, because a short line is short in either one.
Tips for ATL, from the data
- Fly between 10 AM to 2 PM if you can. That window sits between the two daily rushes, when the checkpoint is at its calmest.
- The 7 am hour is the single busiest today, at about 34 minutes in the standard lane.
- Delta runs 80% of departures here, so its checkpoints and gates carry the most traffic. Which airline you fly is what decides your terminal.
Related
Modeled from the flight schedule, not measured. How these numbers are made.