Airports / California / SFO
San Francisco (SFO) TSA wait times
Security at San Francisco International Airport is running about 23 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 15 to 35 minutes at 9 am on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 8 minutes.SFO security is about 23 minutes now, usually 15 to 35 at this hour. Busiest 6 to 8 AM and 2 to 4 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 15 to 35 minutes now
Up 17 min since 3 am.
How long is security at San Francisco, and when is SFO busiest?
So how long is security at San Francisco? The left chart shows the San Francisco security wait time hour by hour, built from SFO'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 2 to 4 PM rushes.Calmest 4 to 8 PM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through SFO? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Oakland (OAK) and San Jose (SJC), or every airport in California.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| 9 am (Now) | 28 flights | 23 min |
| 10 am | 24 flights | 19 min |
| 11 am | 24 flights | 18 min |
| noon | 23 flights | 17 min |
| 1 pm | 19 flights | 14 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Terminals and security at SFO
Which airline you fly decides your terminal. Terminal 3 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 Francisco: what to know
Four terminals, now connected airside
San Francisco has four terminals, 1, 2, 3 and the International Terminal, arranged in a ring. As of 2024 they are all connected airside, so once you clear security you can walk between every terminal without leaving the secure area, a change from the years when each boarding area stood alone. Checkpoints sit at the entrance to each terminal's boarding areas. United is the dominant carrier, with a large hub in Terminal 3 and the International Terminal.
PreCheck and CLEAR at the checkpoints
TSA PreCheck lanes operate at the checkpoints across Terminals 1, 2, 3 and the International Terminal, and CLEAR is available at the major checkpoints, though its posted hours are narrower than the checkpoints' own. Because the terminals now connect after security, a PreCheck or CLEAR member can clear at their terminal's checkpoint and still reach any boarding area on foot.
Busy stretches and the airside shortcut
SFO leans busy in the morning and again in the late-afternoon and evening international departure push, and fog-driven delays are a Bay Area fact of life. The useful move now is the airside connection: if your own terminal's checkpoint is backed up, you can clear at a quieter neighboring terminal's checkpoint and walk over, since the ring of terminals is joined after security.
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
SFO security, common questions
How early should I get to SFO?
For a domestic flight out of San Francisco, 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 SFO security?
Monday around 7 am, when 31 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Tuesday at 10 pm, at roughly 8 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at SFO?
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 SFO?
San Francisco 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 Francisco?
At the Monday peak around 7 am, the standard lane at SFO typically runs 20 to 35 minutes. Away from the peak it settles to roughly 8 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 SFO?
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 United at SFO?
United departs from Terminal 3 at San Francisco 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 SFO, 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 26 minutes in the standard lane.
- United runs 41% of departures here, so its checkpoints and gates carry the most traffic. Which airline you fly is what decides your terminal.
- United flies from Terminal 3, 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.