New Orleans (MSY) TSA wait times
Security at Louis Armstrong New Orleans International Airport is running about 13 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.MSY security is about 13 minutes now, usually 10 to 20 at this hour. Busiest 5 to 6 AM and 3 to 5 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 10 to 20 minutes now
Down 5 min since 5 am.
How long is security at New Orleans, and when is MSY busiest?
So how long is security at New Orleans? The left chart shows the New Orleans security wait time hour by hour, built from MSY'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 MSY? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Baton Rouge (BTR) and Gulfport/Biloxi (GPT), or every airport in Louisiana.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| 11 am (Now) | 8 flights | 13 min |
| noon | 9 flights | 14 min |
| 1 pm | 10 flights | 17 min |
| 2 pm | 9 flights | 14 min |
| 3 pm | 8 flights | 14 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Flying out of New Orleans: what to know
One checkpoint for all three concourses
New Orleans opened its terminal in 2019 with a single consolidated checkpoint on Level 2 that spans about the width of a football field. You clear security once, then walk freely between Concourses A, B and C to reach any gate; there is no re-screening to move between them. This one-checkpoint design means every traveler shares the same security hall.
PreCheck and CLEAR at the one checkpoint
TSA PreCheck lanes operate at the consolidated checkpoint, and CLEAR is present with dedicated lanes for both standard and PreCheck screening at that same Level 2 checkpoint. Because there is only one checkpoint in the whole terminal, PreCheck and CLEAR are your main tools for a faster line rather than choosing among separate checkpoints, since none exist here.
Busiest morning and afternoon
The single checkpoint fills earliest in the morning and again in the late afternoon, with lighter midday stretches. Spring festival season and summer both drive heavier crowds. Since there is just one security hall, arriving ahead of the morning departure bank matters more than picking a terminal; once you are through, use the walkways to reach a gate in any of the three concourses.
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
MSY security, common questions
How early should I get to MSY?
For a domestic flight out of New Orleans, 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 MSY security?
Sunday around 5 am, when 11 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Sunday at 8 pm, at roughly 5 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at MSY?
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 MSY?
Louis Armstrong New Orleans 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 New Orleans?
At the Sunday peak around 5 am, the standard lane at MSY 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 MSY?
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 MSY, 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 18 minutes in the standard lane.
- Southwest runs 43% 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.