Fort Lauderdale (FLL) TSA wait times
Security at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport is running about 12 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 10 to 20 minutes at noon on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 4 minutes.FLL security is about 12 minutes now, usually 10 to 20 at this hour. Busiest 5 to 7 AM and 5 to 7 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 10 to 20 minutes now
Down 7 min since 6 am.
How long is security at Fort Lauderdale, and when is FLL busiest?
So how long is security at Fort Lauderdale? The left chart shows the Fort Lauderdale security wait time hour by hour, built from FLL'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 5 to 7 PM rushes.Calmest 7 to 11 AM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through FLL? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Miami (MIA) and West Palm Beach/Palm Beach (PBI), or every airport in Florida.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| noon (Now) | 13 flights | 12 min |
| 1 pm | 13 flights | 12 min |
| 2 pm | 14 flights | 12 min |
| 3 pm | 15 flights | 14 min |
| 4 pm | 16 flights | 14 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Terminals and security at FLL
Which airline you fly decides your terminal. Terminal 3 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 Fort Lauderdale: what to know
Four terminals, only two connected airside
Fort Lauderdale has four terminals, and today only Terminals 3 and 4 connect after security. Terminals 1 and 2 stand on their own, so moving between 1, 2 and the 3-4 pair means exiting and re-screening. Clear at your own airline's terminal. A terminal-connectors project meant to link all four after security is under construction and due to finish in late 2027.
PreCheck and CLEAR at your own terminal
TSA PreCheck and CLEAR are both available at FLL and can cut the wait sharply during the airport's busy cruise-season mornings. Because the terminals are largely separate after security, use the PreCheck or CLEAR lane at the checkpoint serving your own terminal. If your gate is in Terminal 3 or 4, those two connect after security, so a checkpoint in either one can reach your gate.
Cruise-season mornings are the crunch
FLL is a cruise gateway, so peak season runs October through April, and the heaviest lines form in the very early morning, around 4 am, when cruise passengers and first flights hit at once. If you are flying then, arrive early and go straight to your own terminal's checkpoint, since only Terminals 3 and 4 connect after security and you cannot clear in one terminal and walk to another.
FLL security, common questions
How early should I get to FLL?
For a domestic flight out of Fort Lauderdale, 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 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 FLL security?
Monday around 6 am, when 20 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Wednesday at 8 pm, at roughly 6 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at FLL?
At the Monday 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 FLL?
Fort Lauderdale Hollywood 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 Fort Lauderdale?
At the Monday peak around 6 am, the standard lane at FLL typically runs 15 to 30 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 FLL?
At the busy Monday 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.
Which terminal is JetBlue at FLL?
JetBlue departs from Terminal 3 at Fort Lauderdale Hollywood International Airport and flies 31% of the airport's departures. Your terminal is set by the airline you fly, so check your boarding pass for the gate.
Tips for FLL, 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 19 minutes in the standard lane.
- JetBlue runs 31% of departures here, so its checkpoints and gates carry the most traffic. Which airline you fly is what decides your terminal.
- JetBlue flies from Terminal 3, 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.