Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) TSA wait times
Security at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is running about 27 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 20 to 40 minutes at 11 am on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 9 minutes.DFW security is about 27 minutes now, usually 20 to 40 at this hour. Busiest 6 to 8 AM and 3 to 5 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 20 to 40 minutes now
Up 10 min since 5 am.
How long is security at Dallas/Fort Worth, and when is DFW busiest?
So how long is security at Dallas/Fort Worth? The left chart shows the Dallas/Fort Worth security wait time hour by hour, built from DFW's own departure schedule. The right ranks the days of the week by how long the wait gets. The calmest window is 12 to 4 PM; plan around the 6 to 8 AM and 3 to 5 PM rushes.Calmest 12 to 4 PM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through DFW? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made, or see the DFW terminal map and gate walk times. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Dallas (DAL) and Waco (ACT), or every airport in Texas.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| 11 am (Now) | 55 flights | 27 min |
| noon | 50 flights | 23 min |
| 1 pm | 52 flights | 25 min |
| 2 pm | 51 flights | 24 min |
| 3 pm | 54 flights | 26 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Terminals and security at DFW
Which airline you fly decides your terminal. Terminal A runs the longest lines here. The per-terminal minute is modeled from each terminal's share of departures, not measured. All terminals connect after security, so a quieter checkpoint is an option.
Flying out of Dallas/Fort Worth: what to know
Fifteen checkpoints, one Skylink
DFW spreads its security across five terminals, A through E, arranged in a horseshoe, with about fifteen checkpoints in all. Every terminal connects after security by the Skylink train, which runs every couple of minutes and reaches any terminal in around five, so you can clear at whichever checkpoint is moving and ride to your gate. American Airlines runs the large majority of departures here and fills Terminals A and C and much of D.
PreCheck is everywhere, CLEAR is not
PreCheck lanes are open at all five terminals, at checkpoints such as A21, C21, D30 and E16. CLEAR, though, is only at Terminal E, with enrollment at E8, E16 and E18. So if you fly out of A, B, C or D, CLEAR will not help you at your own checkpoint, and PreCheck is the lane that will. Worth knowing before you pay for the wrong one.
How the peaks behave, and a smart move
DFW's busy spells track American's hub banks, so the checkpoints fill in waves through the morning and again in the late afternoon rather than as one long rush; the chart on this page shows your terminal's own shape. Because Skylink links everything after security, the smart move at a jammed Terminal C checkpoint is to clear at a calmer terminal and ride over, as long as you leave the few minutes the train takes.
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
DFW security, common questions
How early should I get to DFW?
For a domestic flight out of Dallas/Fort Worth, 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 DFW security?
Monday around 7 am, when 65 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Wednesday at 4 am, at roughly 7 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at DFW?
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 DFW?
Dallas Fort Worth 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 Dallas/Fort Worth?
At the Monday peak around 7 am, the standard lane at DFW typically runs 25 to 50 minutes. Away from the peak it settles to roughly 7 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 DFW?
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.
Which terminal is American at DFW?
American departs from Terminal A at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport and flies 54% of the airport's departures. Your terminal is set by the airline you fly, so check your boarding pass for the gate.
Tips for DFW, from the data
- Fly between 12 to 4 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.
- American runs 54% of departures here, so its checkpoints and gates carry the most traffic. Which airline you fly is what decides your terminal.
- American flies from Terminal A, which runs the longest lines here. All terminals connect after security, so you can clear at a quieter one and walk over.
Related
Modeled from the flight schedule, not measured. How these numbers are made.