Las Vegas (LAS) TSA wait times
Security at Harry Reid International Airport is running about 19 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 15 to 30 minutes at 9 am on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 7 minutes.LAS security is about 19 minutes now, usually 15 to 30 at this hour. Busiest 5 to 7 AM and 1 to 3 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 15 to 30 minutes now
Up 13 min since 3 am.
How long is security at Las Vegas, and when is LAS busiest?
So how long is security at Las Vegas? The left chart shows the Las Vegas security wait time hour by hour, built from LAS'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 7 AM and 1 to 3 PM rushes.Calmest 4 to 8 PM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through LAS? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare St. George (SGU) and Cedar City (CDC), or every airport in Nevada.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| 9 am (Now) | 31 flights | 19 min |
| 10 am | 29 flights | 18 min |
| 11 am | 29 flights | 18 min |
| noon | 29 flights | 17 min |
| 1 pm | 28 flights | 17 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Terminals and security at LAS
Which airline you fly decides your terminal. Terminal 1 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 Las Vegas: what to know
Two separate terminal buildings
Harry Reid runs two terminals, Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, in separate buildings with their own roadways and checkpoints. Terminal 1 has three checkpoints and Terminal 3 has one. The two are not connected after security; crossing between them means leaving the secure area, riding a free shuttle that runs outside security, then screening again. Southwest dominates Terminal 1, while Terminal 3 handles international and some other carriers.
PreCheck and CLEAR in both terminals
TSA PreCheck operates in both Terminal 1 and Terminal 3, and CLEAR Plus lanes are present as well. Because the terminals are separate secure areas with no airside link, the key move is simply to go to the right terminal from the start: confirm which one your airline uses, since PreCheck or CLEAR in the wrong terminal does you no good.
Event-driven peaks and spreading the load
Las Vegas waits swing with the leisure calendar, spiking on weekend and Sunday-evening departures and around big convention weekends more than on a fixed daily clock. Inside Terminal 1, several separate checkpoints spread the load, so check the posted waits and pick the checkpoint nearest your gate rather than defaulting to the first one you reach.
LAS security, common questions
How early should I get to LAS?
For a domestic flight out of Las Vegas, plan to be inside the terminal about an hour before departure, and about an hour and a half for an international one. That covers a 20 to 35 minute checkpoint queue at the Friday 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 LAS security?
Friday around 6 am, when 40 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Sunday at 3 am, at roughly 6 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at LAS?
At the Friday peak it turns a 20 to 35 minute queue into something closer to 9 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 LAS?
Harry Reid 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 Las Vegas?
At the Friday peak around 6 am, the standard lane at LAS typically runs 20 to 35 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 LAS?
At the busy Friday peak, PreCheck turns the standard 20 to 35 minute wait into about 9 minutes, a saving of roughly 18 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 Southwest at LAS?
Southwest departs from Terminal 1 at Harry Reid International Airport and flies 55% of the airport's departures. Your terminal is set by the airline you fly, so check your boarding pass for the gate.
Tips for LAS, 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 6 am hour is the single busiest today, at about 26 minutes in the standard lane.
- Southwest runs 55% of departures here, so its checkpoints and gates carry the most traffic. Which airline you fly is what decides your terminal.
- Southwest flies from Terminal 1, 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.