Portland (PDX) TSA wait times
Security at Portland International Airport is measured at about 28 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 15 to 30 minutes at 9 am on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 10 minutes.PDX security is about 28 minutes now, usually 15 to 30 at this hour. Busiest 5 to 7 AM and 3 to 5 PM.
Standard lane, right now
MeasuredChecked 16:44 UTC, live from the Port of Portland feed.
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 15 to 30 minutes now
Up 13 min since 3 am.
How long is security at Portland, and when is PDX busiest?
So how long is security at Portland? The left chart shows the Portland security wait time hour by hour, built from PDX'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 3 to 5 PM rushes.Calmest 4 to 8 PM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through PDX? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Eugene (EUG) and Bend/Redmond (RDM), or every airport in Oregon.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| 9 am (Now) | 15 flights | 19 min |
| 10 am | 9 flights | 11 min |
| 11 am | 9 flights | 10 min |
| noon | 11 flights | 13 min |
| 1 pm | 11 flights | 13 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Flying out of Portland: what to know
Two checkpoints, all concourses joined airside
Portland's rebuilt main terminal has two security checkpoints, one serving concourses B and C and the other D and E. They are not dead ends: a central concourse connector on the secure side links all four concourses, so after clearing either checkpoint you can reach any gate airside. Alaska Airlines is the dominant carrier here and concentrates its flights on Concourse C.
PreCheck and CLEAR at both checkpoints
Both the north and south checkpoints have TSA PreCheck lanes, and CLEAR Plus operates at both as well, so members and PreCheck travelers are covered whichever end they enter. Because the concourses connect after security, you can clear at whichever checkpoint is shorter and still walk to your gate. The D/E checkpoint stays open 24 hours; the B/C checkpoint closes overnight.
Alaska banks set the peaks, so pick the shorter line
Peaks come with the morning Alaska and Southwest banks, roughly 5:30 to 8 a.m., and the late-afternoon return around 3 to 5 p.m.; midday is calmest. Because both checkpoints reach every gate through the connector, the practical tip is to check both lines and use the shorter one, then walk across, rather than defaulting to the checkpoint nearest your airline.
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
PDX security, common questions
How early should I get to PDX?
For a domestic flight out of Portland, 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 Wednesday 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 PDX security?
Wednesday around 6 am, when 15 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Wednesday at 3 am, at roughly 5 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at PDX?
At the Wednesday 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 PDX?
Portland 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 Portland?
At the Wednesday peak around 6 am, the standard lane at PDX 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 PDX?
At the busy Wednesday 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 PDX, 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 19 minutes in the standard lane.
- Alaska runs 36% of departures here, so its checkpoints and gates carry the most traffic. Which airline you fly is what decides your terminal.
Related
Live from PDX's checkpoint feed when fresh, otherwise modeled from the flight schedule. How these numbers are made.