Great Falls (GTF) TSA wait times
Security at Great Falls International Airport is running about 5 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 5 to 10 minutes at 10 am on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 3 minutes.GTF security is about 5 minutes now, usually 5 to 10 at this hour. Busiest 5 to 6 AM and 3 to 5 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 5 to 10 minutes now
Down 4 min since 4 am.
How long is security at Great Falls, and when is GTF busiest?
So how long is security at Great Falls? The left chart shows the Great Falls security wait time hour by hour, built from GTF'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 6 AM and 3 to 5 PM rushes.Calmest 7 to 11 AM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through GTF? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Helena (HLN) and Bozeman (BZN), or every airport in Montana.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| 10 am (Now) | 0 flights | 5 min |
| 11 am | 0 flights | 5 min |
| noon | 1 flights | 7 min |
| 1 pm | 1 flights | 6 min |
| 2 pm | 0 flights | 4 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
GTF security, common questions
How early should I get to GTF?
For a domestic flight out of Great Falls, 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 Tuesday 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 GTF security?
Tuesday around 4 am, when 1 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Sunday at 9 am, at roughly 4 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at GTF?
At the Tuesday 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 GTF?
Great Falls 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 3 am, and checkpoints generally open about two hours before the first flight of the day.
How long is security at Great Falls?
At the Tuesday peak around 4 am, the standard lane at GTF 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 GTF?
At the busy Tuesday 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 GTF, 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 4 am hour is the single busiest today, at about 9 minutes in the standard lane.
- SkyWest runs 64% 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.