Phoenix (PHX) TSA wait times
Security at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport is measured at about 11 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 20 to 35 minutes at 9 am on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 4 minutes.PHX security is about 11 minutes now, usually 20 to 35 at this hour. Busiest 6 to 8 AM and 1 to 3 PM.
Standard lane, right now
MeasuredAs of 16:40 UTC, live from the Phoenix Sky Harbor feed.
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 20 to 35 minutes now
Up 20 min since 3 am.
How long is security at Phoenix, and when is PHX busiest?
So how long is security at Phoenix? The left chart shows the Phoenix security wait time hour by hour, built from PHX'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 6 to 8 AM and 1 to 3 PM rushes.Calmest 4 to 8 PM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through PHX? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made, or see the PHX terminal map and gate walk times. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Phoenix (AZA) and Prescott (PRC), or every airport in Arizona.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| 9 am (Now) | 37 flights | 26 min |
| 10 am | 32 flights | 22 min |
| 11 am | 30 flights | 20 min |
| noon | 30 flights | 20 min |
| 1 pm | 32 flights | 22 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Terminals and security at PHX
Which airline you fly decides your terminal. Terminal 4 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 Phoenix: what to know
Two terminals, separate secure areas
Phoenix Sky Harbor screens at two passenger terminals, Terminal 3 and the much larger Terminal 4, which handles most flights across four concourses and several checkpoints. The two terminals are separate secure areas linked only by the free PHX Sky Train, which runs outside security, so you cannot clear in one terminal and reach the other's gates without screening again. American and Southwest are the busiest carriers here.
PreCheck, CLEAR and PHX Reserve
TSA PreCheck and CLEAR are both available in Terminal 3 and Terminal 4. Sky Harbor also runs PHX Reserve, a free timed-entry option at both terminals for travelers without those memberships. Because the terminals do not connect after security, confirm which terminal your airline uses and go straight to its checkpoint rather than routing through the other.
When it's busy and where to enter
Waits at PHX peak in the early morning and around the late-afternoon departure banks, and Terminal 4 carries far more traffic than Terminal 3. If your Terminal 4 flight leaves from one of the smaller concourses, enter at that concourse's own checkpoint, since spreading across several checkpoints is how the terminal keeps its lines moving. Free PHX Reserve slots can help at the busiest hours.
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
PHX security, common questions
How early should I get to PHX?
For a domestic flight out of Phoenix, plan to be inside the terminal about an hour and a quarter before departure, and about an hour and a half for an international one. That covers a 25 to 50 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 PHX security?
Monday around 7 am, when 44 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Saturday at 10 pm, at roughly 6 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at PHX?
At the Monday peak it turns a 25 to 50 minute queue into something closer to 12 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 PHX?
Phoenix Sky Harbor 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 midnight, and checkpoints generally open about two hours before the first flight of the day.
How long is security at Phoenix?
At the Monday peak around 7 am, the standard lane at PHX typically runs 25 to 50 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 PHX?
At the busy Monday peak, PreCheck turns the standard 25 to 50 minute wait into about 12 minutes, a saving of roughly 25 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 Southwest at PHX?
Southwest departs from Terminal 4 at Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport and flies 35% of the airport's departures. Your terminal is set by the airline you fly, so check your boarding pass for the gate.
Tips for PHX, 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 7 am hour is the single busiest today, at about 34 minutes in the standard lane.
- Southwest runs 35% of departures here, so its checkpoints and gates carry the most traffic. Which airline you fly is what decides your terminal.
- Southwest flies from Terminal 4, which runs the longest lines here. All terminals connect after security, so you can clear at a quieter one and walk over.
Related
Live from PHX's checkpoint feed when fresh, otherwise modeled from the flight schedule. How these numbers are made.