Minneapolis (MSP) TSA wait times
Security at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field is running about 21 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 15 to 30 minutes at 11 am on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 7 minutes.MSP security is about 21 minutes now, usually 15 to 30 at this hour. Busiest 8 to 10 AM and 4 to 6 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 15 to 30 minutes now
Up 3 min since 5 am.
How long is security at Minneapolis, and when is MSP busiest?
So how long is security at Minneapolis? The left chart shows the Minneapolis security wait time hour by hour, built from MSP's own departure schedule. The right ranks the days of the week by how long the wait gets. The calmest window is 1 to 5 PM; plan around the 8 to 10 AM and 4 to 6 PM rushes.Calmest 1 to 5 PM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through MSP? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare St. Cloud (STC) and Rochester (RST), or every airport in Minnesota.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| 11 am (Now) | 21 flights | 21 min |
| noon | 20 flights | 20 min |
| 1 pm | 21 flights | 20 min |
| 2 pm | 17 flights | 16 min |
| 3 pm | 13 flights | 12 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Terminals and security at MSP
Which airline you fly decides your terminal. Terminal 1 (Lindbergh) 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 Minneapolis: what to know
Terminal 1's seven concourses connect airside
Minneapolis-Saint Paul's main building, Terminal 1 (Lindbergh), has seven concourses, A through G, all connected airside through the central terminal. Its two checkpoints, North and South, both feed that shared space, so clearing either reaches any gate. Delta runs its hub here. The separate Terminal 2 (Humphrey), used by Sun Country and some low-cost carriers, is its own building with no airside link to Terminal 1.
PreCheck and CLEAR at the South checkpoint
In Terminal 1, TSA PreCheck and CLEAR are available, with PreCheck and CLEAR travelers directed to the South checkpoint. Because all of Terminal 1's concourses connect airside, you can clear at the South checkpoint and walk to any gate. Terminal 2 has its own checkpoint, so confirm which terminal your airline uses, since the two do not connect after security.
Delta banks set the peaks
Terminal 1 is busiest during Delta's connecting banks, mainly the morning and late-afternoon peaks. The North and South checkpoints both reach every concourse airside, so use whichever line is shorter, though PreCheck and CLEAR travelers should head to the South checkpoint where those lanes run. Midday between the banks is usually the calmest stretch.
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
MSP security, common questions
How early should I get to MSP?
For a domestic flight out of Minneapolis, 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 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 MSP security?
Monday around 9 am, when 25 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Saturday at 4 am, at roughly 9 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at MSP?
At the Monday 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 MSP?
Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field 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 Minneapolis?
At the Monday peak around 9 am, the standard lane at MSP typically runs 20 to 35 minutes. Away from the peak it settles to roughly 9 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 MSP?
At the busy Monday 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 Delta at MSP?
Delta departs from Terminal 1 (Lindbergh) at Minneapolis–Saint Paul International Airport / Wold–Chamberlain Field and flies 60% of the airport's departures. Your terminal is set by the airline you fly, so check your boarding pass for the gate.
Tips for MSP, from the data
- Fly between 1 to 5 PM if you can. That window sits between the two daily rushes, when the checkpoint is at its calmest.
- The 9 am hour is the single busiest today, at about 26 minutes in the standard lane.
- Delta runs 60% of departures here, so its checkpoints and gates carry the most traffic. Which airline you fly is what decides your terminal.
- Delta flies from Terminal 1 (Lindbergh), 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.