Indianapolis (IND) TSA wait times
Security at Indianapolis International Airport is running about 10 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 5 to 15 minutes at noon on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 4 minutes.IND security is about 10 minutes now, usually 5 to 15 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 15 minutes now
Down 5 min since 6 am.
How long is security at Indianapolis, and when is IND busiest?
So how long is security at Indianapolis? The left chart shows the Indianapolis security wait time hour by hour, built from IND's own departure schedule. The right ranks the days of the week by how long the wait gets. The calmest window is 4 to 8 PM; plan around the 5 to 6 AM and 3 to 5 PM rushes.Calmest 4 to 8 PM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through IND? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Lafayette (LAF) and Cincinnati (CVG), or every airport in Indiana.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| noon (Now) | 7 flights | 10 min |
| 1 pm | 8 flights | 10 min |
| 2 pm | 8 flights | 10 min |
| 3 pm | 8 flights | 10 min |
| 4 pm | 9 flights | 11 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Flying out of Indianapolis: what to know
Two checkpoints, both reach every gate
Indianapolis is a single terminal with two concourses, A and B, that branch from a central plaza. Each concourse has its own checkpoint at its entrance, but the concourses connect airside through a post-security hallway, so you can clear at either checkpoint and still reach any gate without re-screening. That flexibility lets you pick whichever checkpoint line is moving faster.
PreCheck only at Checkpoint A
There is an important catch with expedited screening: the TSA PreCheck lane is only at Checkpoint A. PreCheck travelers should use Checkpoint A even when their gate is in Concourse B, then walk across airside. CLEAR lanes are available at both the A and B checkpoints, generally from about 4 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily, so CLEAR members have a choice of either side.
Weekday mornings peak; pick the shorter line
Weekday mornings, roughly 5 to 8 a.m., are the busiest stretch as business travelers move through. Because the concourses connect airside, the smartest tactic is to enter at the checkpoint with the shorter line and walk to your gate through the connector. PreCheck flyers are the exception: head to Checkpoint A regardless of your gate, since that is the only PreCheck lane.
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
IND security, common questions
How early should I get to IND?
For a domestic flight out of Indianapolis, 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 IND security?
Monday around 5 am, when 14 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Thursday at 7 pm, at roughly 6 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at IND?
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 IND?
Indianapolis 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 Indianapolis?
At the Monday peak around 5 am, the standard lane at IND 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 IND?
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.
Tips for IND, from the data
- Fly between 4 to 8 PM if you can. That window sits between the two daily rushes, when the checkpoint is at its calmest.
- The 5 am hour is the single busiest today, at about 19 minutes in the standard lane.
- Republic Airways runs 31% 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.