Austin (AUS) TSA wait times
Security at Austin Bergstrom International Airport is running about 17 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 10 to 25 minutes at 11 am on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 6 minutes.AUS security is about 17 minutes now, usually 10 to 25 at this hour. Busiest 5 to 6 AM and 1 to 3 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 10 to 25 minutes now
Down 1 min since 5 am.
How long is security at Austin, and when is AUS busiest?
So how long is security at Austin? The left chart shows the Austin security wait time hour by hour, built from AUS's own departure schedule. The right ranks the days of the week by how long the wait gets. The calmest window is 4 to 8 PM; plan around the 5 to 6 AM and 1 to 3 PM rushes.Calmest 4 to 8 PM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through AUS? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Killeen (GRK) and San Antonio (SAT), or every airport in Texas.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| 11 am (Now) | 17 flights | 17 min |
| noon | 18 flights | 18 min |
| 1 pm | 18 flights | 19 min |
| 2 pm | 17 flights | 17 min |
| 3 pm | 17 flights | 16 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Flying out of Austin: what to know
One terminal, four checkpoints, every gate reachable
Austin's Barbara Jordan Terminal is a single building, and all four security checkpoints lead to every gate along one continuous concourse. That means you can clear at whichever checkpoint is moving fastest and still reach your gate without leaving security. A new checkpoint and added lanes recently expanded capacity, and a second midfield concourse connected by tunnel is planned for the early 2030s.
PreCheck at checkpoints 1 and 2, CLEAR present
TSA PreCheck lanes operate at AUS, with PreCheck at checkpoints 1 and 2, and CLEAR is available at the airport for enrolled travelers. Since every checkpoint reaches every gate, you are free to head for whichever PreCheck or CLEAR lane has the shortest queue rather than the one nearest your gate. During overnight and off-peak hours some lanes consolidate, so options narrow late at night.
Busiest Thursday through Monday mornings
AUS runs busiest on Thursday, Friday, Sunday and Monday, and mornings are the heaviest part of the day as the first departure banks build. Because all four checkpoints feed the same concourse, do not just join the nearest line: check the others, since a checkpoint a short walk away can be far shorter, and every one of them still reaches your gate.
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
AUS security, common questions
How early should I get to AUS?
For a domestic flight out of Austin, plan to be inside the terminal about an hour before departure, and about an hour and a quarter for an international one. That covers a 15 to 30 minute checkpoint queue at the Sunday 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 AUS security?
Sunday around 1 pm, when 19 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Saturday at 7 pm, at roughly 5 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at AUS?
At the Sunday peak it turns a 15 to 30 minute queue into something closer to 7 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 AUS?
Austin Bergstrom 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 Austin?
At the Sunday peak around 1 pm, the standard lane at AUS typically runs 15 to 30 minutes. Away from the peak it settles to roughly 5 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 AUS?
At the busy Sunday peak, PreCheck turns the standard 15 to 30 minute wait into about 7 minutes, a saving of roughly 15 minutes when it matters most. Off-peak the two lanes are much closer, because a short line is short in either one.
Tips for AUS, from the data
- Fly between 4 to 8 PM if you can. That window sits between the two daily rushes, when the checkpoint is at its calmest.
- The 1 pm hour is the single busiest today, at about 19 minutes in the standard lane.
- Southwest runs 45% 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.