San Antonio (SAT) TSA wait times
Security at San Antonio 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.SAT security is about 13 minutes now, usually 10 to 20 at this hour. Busiest 5 to 6 AM and 2 to 4 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 10 to 20 minutes now
Down 6 min since 5 am.
How long is security at San Antonio, and when is SAT busiest?
So how long is security at San Antonio? The left chart shows the San Antonio security wait time hour by hour, built from SAT'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 2 to 4 PM rushes.Calmest 4 to 8 PM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through SAT? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Austin (AUS) and Victoria (VCT), or every airport in Texas.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| 11 am (Now) | 8 flights | 13 min |
| noon | 8 flights | 12 min |
| 1 pm | 7 flights | 11 min |
| 2 pm | 7 flights | 11 min |
| 3 pm | 8 flights | 12 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Terminals and security at SAT
Which airline you fly decides your terminal. Terminal A 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 San Antonio: what to know
Two terminals, separate secure zones
San Antonio's Terminals A and B sit in one connected building, and you can walk between them before security. Airside they are separate: clearing in Terminal A does not let you reach Terminal B gates without exiting and screening again. Terminal A has two checkpoints that both feed its concourse, so you can use whichever is shorter, while Terminal B has a single checkpoint. Use the checkpoint for your airline's terminal.
PreCheck in both terminals, CLEAR in Terminal A
TSA PreCheck lanes operate at the checkpoints in both Terminal A and Terminal B. CLEAR is in Terminal A, at the checkpoint serving gates A1 through A7. If you are flying from Terminal B, there is no CLEAR lane there, so plan on the standard or PreCheck lines. PreCheck hours are limited, roughly early morning into the early evening, so a very early or late flight may find it closed.
Busiest early and late afternoon
The two peak windows at San Antonio are about 5 to 8 in the morning and 4 to 7 in the afternoon, with the calmest lines around midday. Because the terminals do not connect airside, confirm which terminal your airline uses before you park: Terminal A holds two checkpoints you can choose between, while Terminal B has just one, so its single line is worth arriving a little earlier for.
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
SAT security, common questions
How early should I get to SAT?
For a domestic flight out of San Antonio, 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 SAT 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 Friday at 7 pm, at roughly 6 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at SAT?
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 SAT?
San Antonio 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 San Antonio?
At the Sunday peak around 5 am, the standard lane at SAT typically runs 15 to 30 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 SAT?
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.
Which terminal is Southwest at SAT?
Southwest departs from Terminal A at San Antonio International Airport and flies 41% of the airport's departures. Your terminal is set by the airline you fly, so check your boarding pass for the gate.
Tips for SAT, 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 19 minutes in the standard lane.
- Southwest runs 41% 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 A, 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.