JFK Security Wait Times

TSA checkpoint lines at New York John F. Kennedy Intl., by day and hour.

Right now

Live · updated 6:21 PM local time

TSA wait this hour
Up to 19 min Friday, 6:21 PM local time
Next few hours
  • 7 PMUp to 21 min
  • 8 PMUp to 18 min
  • 9 PMUp to 17 min
Live wait times
CheckpointStandardTSA PreCheck
Terminal 1StandardTSA PreCheckPriority26 min7 min
Terminal 4StandardTSA PreCheckCLEAR38 min4 min
Terminal 5StandardTSA PreCheckPriority14 min4 min
Terminal 7StandardPriority10 min–
Terminal 8StandardTSA PreCheckPriority23 min7 min

Best time to go through security at JFK

Between 5 AM and 10 PM, the security wait at JFK can reach 33 minutes at its busiest, on Sundays around 8 AM, and stays within 16 minutes at the quietest hour.

Wait by day and hour

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SunSunday, 4 AM: up to 24 minSunday, 5 AM: up to 29 minSunday, 6 AM: up to 28 minSunday, 7 AM: up to 28 minSunday, 8 AM: up to 33 minSunday, 9 AM: up to 26 minSunday, 10 AM: up to 23 minSunday, 11 AM: up to 24 minSunday, 12 PM: up to 24 minSunday, 1 PM: up to 26 minSunday, 2 PM: up to 30 minSunday, 3 PM: up to 28 minSunday, 4 PM: up to 29 minSunday, 5 PM: up to 32 minSunday, 6 PM: up to 32 minSunday, 7 PM: up to 25 minSunday, 8 PM: up to 24 minSunday, 9 PM: up to 19 minSunday, 10 PM: up to 19 minSunday, 11 PM: up to 20 min
MonMonday, 4 AM: up to 24 minMonday, 5 AM: up to 26 minMonday, 6 AM: up to 23 minMonday, 7 AM: up to 24 minMonday, 8 AM: up to 23 minMonday, 9 AM: up to 23 minMonday, 10 AM: up to 22 minMonday, 11 AM: up to 25 minMonday, 12 PM: up to 18 minMonday, 1 PM: up to 18 minMonday, 2 PM: up to 29 minMonday, 3 PM: up to 28 minMonday, 4 PM: up to 28 minMonday, 5 PM: up to 24 minMonday, 6 PM: up to 24 minMonday, 7 PM: up to 22 minMonday, 8 PM: up to 18 minMonday, 9 PM: up to 19 minMonday, 10 PM: up to 23 minMonday, 11 PM: up to 19 min
TueTuesday, 4 AM: up to 21 minTuesday, 5 AM: up to 19 minTuesday, 6 AM: up to 22 minTuesday, 7 AM: up to 19 minTuesday, 8 AM: up to 19 minTuesday, 9 AM: up to 19 minTuesday, 10 AM: up to 19 minTuesday, 11 AM: up to 19 minTuesday, 12 PM: up to 30 minTuesday, 1 PM: up to 23 minTuesday, 2 PM: up to 28 minTuesday, 3 PM: up to 33 minTuesday, 4 PM: up to 28 minTuesday, 5 PM: up to 24 minTuesday, 6 PM: up to 21 minTuesday, 7 PM: up to 23 minTuesday, 8 PM: up to 19 minTuesday, 9 PM: up to 19 minTuesday, 10 PM: up to 18 minTuesday, 11 PM: up to 20 min
WedWednesday, 4 AM: up to 24 minWednesday, 5 AM: up to 19 minWednesday, 6 AM: up to 19 minWednesday, 7 AM: up to 21 minWednesday, 8 AM: up to 23 minWednesday, 9 AM: up to 19 minWednesday, 10 AM: up to 19 minWednesday, 11 AM: up to 19 minWednesday, 12 PM: up to 28 minWednesday, 1 PM: up to 22 minWednesday, 2 PM: up to 29 minWednesday, 3 PM: up to 30 minWednesday, 4 PM: up to 27 minWednesday, 5 PM: up to 32 minWednesday, 6 PM: up to 30 minWednesday, 7 PM: up to 22 minWednesday, 8 PM: up to 16 minWednesday, 9 PM: up to 18 minWednesday, 10 PM: up to 19 minWednesday, 11 PM: up to 17 min
ThuThursday, 4 AM: up to 19 minThursday, 5 AM: up to 23 minThursday, 6 AM: up to 19 minThursday, 7 AM: up to 21 minThursday, 8 AM: up to 24 minThursday, 9 AM: up to 16 minThursday, 10 AM: up to 19 minThursday, 11 AM: up to 18 minThursday, 12 PM: up to 19 minThursday, 1 PM: up to 22 minThursday, 2 PM: up to 22 minThursday, 3 PM: up to 25 minThursday, 4 PM: up to 28 minThursday, 5 PM: up to 23 minThursday, 6 PM: up to 23 minThursday, 7 PM: up to 19 minThursday, 8 PM: up to 19 minThursday, 9 PM: up to 17 minThursday, 10 PM: up to 18 minThursday, 11 PM: up to 19 min
FriFriday, 4 AM: up to 21 minFriday, 5 AM: up to 23 minFriday, 6 AM: up to 22 minFriday, 7 AM: up to 21 minFriday, 8 AM: up to 23 minFriday, 9 AM: up to 19 minFriday, 10 AM: up to 19 minFriday, 11 AM: up to 19 minFriday, 12 PM: up to 23 minFriday, 1 PM: up to 21 minFriday, 2 PM: up to 24 minFriday, 3 PM: up to 24 minFriday, 4 PM: up to 24 minFriday, 5 PM: up to 24 minFriday, 6 PM: up to 19 minFriday, 7 PM: up to 21 minFriday, 8 PM: up to 18 minFriday, 9 PM: up to 17 minFriday, 10 PM: up to 20 minFriday, 11 PM: up to 18 min
SatSaturday, 4 AM: up to 24 minSaturday, 5 AM: up to 28 minSaturday, 6 AM: up to 26 minSaturday, 7 AM: up to 19 minSaturday, 8 AM: up to 27 minSaturday, 9 AM: up to 21 minSaturday, 10 AM: up to 24 minSaturday, 11 AM: up to 22 minSaturday, 12 PM: up to 19 minSaturday, 1 PM: up to 23 minSaturday, 2 PM: up to 24 minSaturday, 3 PM: up to 24 minSaturday, 4 PM: up to 24 minSaturday, 5 PM: up to 28 minSaturday, 6 PM: up to 24 minSaturday, 7 PM: up to 19 minSaturday, 8 PM: up to 19 minSaturday, 9 PM: up to 19 minSaturday, 10 PM: up to 22 minSaturday, 11 PM: up to 22 min

Under 10 min 10–20 20–30 30+

From official TSA wait times: the longest standard-lane wait in each hour, in local time.

The quietest and busiest hours, by day

DayQuietest hourBusiest hour
Sunday9 PM · Up to 19 min8 AM · Up to 33 min
Monday12 PM · Up to 18 min2 PM · Up to 29 min
Tuesday5 AM · Up to 19 min3 PM · Up to 33 min
Wednesday8 PM · Up to 16 min5 PM · Up to 32 min
Thursday9 AM · Up to 16 min4 PM · Up to 28 min
Friday Today9 PM · Up to 17 min2 PM · Up to 24 min
Saturday7 AM · Up to 19 min5 AM · Up to 28 min

Between 5 AM and 10 PM, local time, from official TSA wait times.

JFK security questions, answered.

What's the best time to go through security at JFK?

Security lines at JFK are usually shortest around 9 PM and longest around 3 PM. Thursday tends to be the quietest day, and Sunday the busiest.

When is the TSA line longest at JFK?

Waits peak on Sundays around 8 AM, when they can reach 33 minutes. Across the week, 3 PM is usually the busiest hour.

How early should I get to JFK?

Airlines commonly recommend arriving about 2 hours before a domestic flight and 3 hours before an international one. At JFK, the security wait can reach 33 minutes at the busiest times between 5 AM and 10 PM, so leave extra time around 3 PM, especially on Sundays.

How long is the TSA line at JFK right now?

TSA’s figures put the wait at up to 19 minutes at this hour on Fridays (as of 6:21 PM local time). Live waits reported right now: Terminal 1, Standard 26 min, TSA PreCheck 7 min; Terminal 4, Standard 38 min, TSA PreCheck 4 min; Terminal 5, Standard 14 min, TSA PreCheck 4 min; Terminal 7, Standard 10 min; Terminal 8, Standard 23 min, TSA PreCheck 7 min.

Can I see TSA PreCheck and CLEAR wait times for JFK?

Yes, in the Flying app. It shows typical security waits for the day and hour you fly, including TSA PreCheck and CLEAR lines, and live waits at select major airports, so you can plan around the actual line.

Where do these wait times come from?

Waits by day and hour come from official TSA wait times: the longest standard-lane wait TSA reports for each hour, in JFK local time. Live waits come from the airport or from traveler reports, where available.

JFK airport statusDelays, FAA advisories, weather, and live traffic Security wait times at other US airportsTSA waits right now at US airports

Know when to leave for the airport.

Flying shows the security wait for the day and hour you fly, including TSA PreCheck and CLEAR lines, and tells you the moment your flight is delayed or your gate changes.

Download on the App Store