Chicago (MDW) TSA wait times
Security at Chicago Midway International Airport is running about 15 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 10 to 20 minutes at 11 am on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 5 minutes.MDW security is about 15 minutes now, usually 10 to 20 at this hour. Busiest 5 to 7 AM and 4 to 6 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 10 to 20 minutes now
Up 1 min since 5 am.
How long is security at Chicago, and when is MDW busiest?
So how long is security at Chicago? The left chart shows the Chicago security wait time hour by hour, built from MDW's own departure schedule. The right ranks the days of the week by how long the wait gets. The calmest window is 12 to 4 PM; plan around the 5 to 7 AM and 4 to 6 PM rushes.Calmest 12 to 4 PM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through MDW? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Chicago (ORD) and South Bend (SBN), or every airport in Illinois.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| 11 am (Now) | 13 flights | 15 min |
| noon | 12 flights | 13 min |
| 1 pm | 10 flights | 11 min |
| 2 pm | 9 flights | 10 min |
| 3 pm | 10 flights | 11 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Flying out of Chicago: what to know
One checkpoint feeds all three concourses
Midway is compact and runs one main security checkpoint that feeds all three concourses, A, B and C. Once you clear, every gate is reachable airside without screening again, so there is no wrong lane to pick. Southwest Airlines operates the large majority of departures here and uses gates across all three concourses, which keeps the whole airport funneling through that single checkpoint.
PreCheck and CLEAR in one place
TSA PreCheck lanes operate at the main checkpoint, typically from early morning until around 8 p.m., and PreCheck averages just a few minutes even when standard lines build. CLEAR Plus is also present at the main checkpoint serving concourses A, B and C, letting members reach the physical screening area faster. With only one checkpoint, both programs sit in a single location.
Morning and evening peaks, one funnel
Lines are heaviest during the morning push, about 6 to 9 a.m., and the late-afternoon return, roughly 4 to 7 p.m., with Fridays and Sundays busiest. Midday, around 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., is usually the shortest. Because everything funnels through one checkpoint, an early Southwest bank can back it up, so arriving before the 6 a.m. surge helps on peak days.
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
MDW security, common questions
How early should I get to MDW?
For a domestic flight out of Chicago, 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 Sunday 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 MDW security?
Sunday around 7 am, when 16 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Thursday at 3 am, at roughly 5 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at MDW?
At the Sunday 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 MDW?
Chicago Midway 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 Chicago?
At the Sunday peak around 7 am, the standard lane at MDW typically runs 15 to 30 minutes. Away from the peak it settles to roughly 5 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 MDW?
At the busy Sunday 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 MDW, from the data
- Fly between 12 to 4 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 18 minutes in the standard lane.
- Southwest runs 94% 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.