Fairbanks (FAI) TSA wait times
Security at Fairbanks International Airport is running about 5 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 5 to 10 minutes at 8 am on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 3 minutes.FAI security is about 5 minutes now, usually 5 to 10 at this hour. Busiest 10 to 11 AM and 1 to 3 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 5 to 10 minutes now
Up 1 min since 2 am.
How long is security at Fairbanks, and when is FAI busiest?
So how long is security at Fairbanks? The left chart shows the Fairbanks security wait time hour by hour, built from FAI's own departure schedule. The right ranks the days of the week by how long the wait gets. The calmest window is 3 to 7 PM; plan around the 10 to 11 AM and 1 to 3 PM rushes.Calmest 3 to 7 PM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through FAI? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| 8 am (Now) | 0 flights | 5 min |
| 9 am | 0 flights | 5 min |
| 10 am | 0 flights | 5 min |
| 11 am | 1 flights | 7 min |
| noon | 1 flights | 7 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
FAI security, common questions
How early should I get to FAI?
For a domestic flight out of Fairbanks, plan to be inside the terminal about an hour before departure, and about an hour for an international one. That covers a 5 to 15 minute checkpoint queue at the Thursday 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 FAI security?
Thursday around 11 pm, when 1 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Thursday at 2 am, at roughly 4 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at FAI?
At the Thursday peak it turns a 5 to 15 minute queue into something closer to 3 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 FAI?
Fairbanks 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 midnight, and checkpoints generally open about two hours before the first flight of the day.
How long is security at Fairbanks?
At the Thursday peak around 11 pm, the standard lane at FAI typically runs 5 to 15 minutes. Away from the peak it settles to roughly 4 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 FAI?
At the busy Thursday peak, PreCheck turns the standard 5 to 15 minute wait into about 3 minutes, a saving of roughly 7 minutes when it matters most. Off-peak the two lanes are much closer, because a short line is short in either one.
Tips for FAI, from the data
- Fly between 3 to 7 PM if you can. That window sits between the two daily rushes, when the checkpoint is at its calmest.
- The midnight hour is the single busiest today, at about 9 minutes in the standard lane.
- Alaska runs 73% 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.