New York (LGA) TSA wait times
Security at LaGuardia Airport is running about 22 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 15 to 30 minutes at noon on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 8 minutes.LGA security is about 22 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
Down 4 min since 6 am.
How long is security at New York, and when is LGA busiest?
So how long is security at New York? The left chart shows the New York security wait time hour by hour, built from LGA'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 LGA? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare New York (JFK) and Newark (EWR), or every airport in New York.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| noon (Now) | 25 flights | 22 min |
| 1 pm | 27 flights | 24 min |
| 2 pm | 26 flights | 23 min |
| 3 pm | 23 flights | 20 min |
| 4 pm | 24 flights | 21 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Terminals and security at LGA
Which airline you fly decides your terminal. Terminal B 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 New York: what to know
Three terminals, none connected airside
LaGuardia has three terminals, A (Marine Air), B and C, each with its own checkpoint. The terminals do not connect airside, so you must use the checkpoint for your own airline's terminal and cannot walk between them after security. Within Terminal C, though, all of its concourses connect airside, so a connection that stays inside C needs no re-screening.
PreCheck at all three, CLEAR in Terminal C
TSA PreCheck lanes run at all three terminals, A, B and C. CLEAR operates in Terminal C, which handles Delta, so travelers in Terminals A or B use the standard and PreCheck lanes instead. PreCheck enrollment through CLEAR is offered in Terminals B and C. Confirm your terminal before relying on a CLEAR lane.
Peaks fill fast, so land at the right terminal
LaGuardia runs busiest in the morning and again through the late-afternoon and early-evening peak, and its rebuilt but compact footprint means lines back up quickly. Since the terminals share no airside path, double-check which terminal your airline uses before you arrive. A wrong guess means leaving security and traveling landside to the right building.
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
LGA security, common questions
How early should I get to LGA?
For a domestic flight out of New York, 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 LGA security?
Friday around 6 am, when 28 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Saturday at 6 pm, at roughly 6 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at LGA?
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 LGA?
LaGuardia 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 New York?
At the Friday peak around 6 am, the standard lane at LGA 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 LGA?
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.
Tips for LGA, 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.
- Republic Airways runs 42% of departures here, so its checkpoints and gates carry the most traffic. Which airline you fly is what decides your terminal.
- American flies from Terminal B, 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.