Nashville (BNA) TSA wait times
Security at Nashville International Airport is running about 19 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 15 to 30 minutes at 11 am on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 7 minutes.BNA security is about 19 minutes now, usually 15 to 30 at this hour. Busiest 5 to 7 AM and 3 to 5 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 15 to 30 minutes now
Down 6 min since 5 am.
How long is security at Nashville, and when is BNA busiest?
So how long is security at Nashville? The left chart shows the Nashville security wait time hour by hour, built from BNA's own departure schedule. The right ranks the days of the week by how long the wait gets. The calmest window is 7 to 11 AM; plan around the 5 to 7 AM and 3 to 5 PM rushes.Calmest 7 to 11 AM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through BNA? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Huntsville (HSV) and Chattanooga (CHA), or every airport in Tennessee.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| 11 am (Now) | 18 flights | 19 min |
| noon | 19 flights | 21 min |
| 1 pm | 19 flights | 21 min |
| 2 pm | 18 flights | 19 min |
| 3 pm | 20 flights | 22 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Flying out of Nashville: what to know
One terminal, one checkpoint, all concourses connected
Nashville uses a single terminal with concourses A, B, C and D, and one central security checkpoint feeds all of them. Once you clear, walkways connect the open concourses with no train or shuttle needed, so you can reach any gate on foot. Extra lanes open at the central checkpoint during peak departure banks. Concourse A is under construction, with more capacity due around 2028.
PreCheck and CLEAR at the central checkpoint
TSA PreCheck and CLEAR lanes both run at BNA's central checkpoint, opening for the peak departure banks and consolidating during the overnight hours. Because a single checkpoint serves the whole airport, there is one place to line up, and the PreCheck and CLEAR lanes there feed every concourse. In the early morning, arrive with margin, since that one checkpoint concentrates the entire crowd.
The early-morning push, and one central line
With one central checkpoint, BNA's crowd concentrates rather than spreading across terminals, so the early-morning departure push is when lines run longest; the checkpoint opens around 3:30 am to get ahead of it. Arrive early for a first-bank flight. Once you are through, remember every open concourse is a short walk away, so you can use any gate area's shops and food regardless of where you depart.
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
BNA security, common questions
How early should I get to BNA?
For a domestic flight out of Nashville, plan to be inside the terminal about an hour before departure, and about an hour and a half for an international one. That covers a 20 to 35 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 BNA security?
Monday around 6 am, when 23 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Tuesday at 8 pm, at roughly 6 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at BNA?
At the Monday peak it turns a 20 to 35 minute queue into something closer to 9 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 BNA?
Nashville 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 Nashville?
At the Monday peak around 6 am, the standard lane at BNA typically runs 20 to 35 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 BNA?
At the busy Monday peak, PreCheck turns the standard 20 to 35 minute wait into about 9 minutes, a saving of roughly 18 minutes when it matters most. Off-peak the two lanes are much closer, because a short line is short in either one.
Tips for BNA, from the data
- Fly between 7 to 11 AM if you can. That window sits between the two daily rushes, when the checkpoint is at its calmest.
- The 6 am hour is the single busiest today, at about 26 minutes in the standard lane.
- Southwest runs 61% 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.