SFOSan Francisco
How long is the TSA security line at SFO right now?
At 7:39 am Pacific every open standard lane at SFO is 10 minutes or under. The longest standard line is Checkpoint B - Departure Level, 7 min. Checkpoint A and Checkpoint D are moving at 1 min.
Wait time by checkpoint
| Checkpoint | Standard | PreCheck |
|---|---|---|
| Checkpoint A | 1min | 1min |
| Checkpoint B - Departure Level | 7min | no lane |
| Checkpoint B - Mezzanine Level | no lane | 3min |
| Checkpoint D | 1min | 2min |
| Checkpoint F | 4min | 6min |
| Checkpoint G | 3min | under 1min |
Read from flysfo.com at 18 minutes ago, next read in 2
How busy SFO security usually is
People screened per hour at each checkpoint, averaged over 175 days of TSA counts, 22 March to 24 October 2026. Green is that checkpoint's quiet hours, red its peak. Find your checkpoint and look along the row for green.
| Checkpoint | 4a | 6a | 7 am, now | 8a | 10a | 12p | 2p | 4p | 6p | 8p | 10p | |||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checkpoint A | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Checkpoint B - Departure Level | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Checkpoint B - Mezzanine Level | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Checkpoint D | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Checkpoint F | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Checkpoint G | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Employee Security Checkpoint D | ||||||||||||||||||||
| Employee Security Checkpoint F |
Tap a cell for its count.
Quiet for this checkpointIts busiest hourclosed or no count
On the counted days SFO screened passengers from 3 am to 11 pm. Across SFO the busiest hour is 11 am and the counts fall away after 10 pm. Checkpoint D, Checkpoint B - Departure Level and Checkpoint F screen 59 percent of the people TSA counts at SFO, Checkpoint D alone 21 percent. The busiest hour at Checkpoint D is 7 am, 4 hours before SFO's. Most checkpoints peak before noon; Checkpoint A runs the other way at 10 pm, Checkpoint G at noon. TSA counts people, not minutes, so this shows when a checkpoint is loaded, not how long you will stand in it.
Checkpoints and terminals at SFO
What San Francisco says on its own site, in our words, with the page each fact comes from and the day we read it. Airports move airlines and lanes, so check the linked page before you fly.
Where the checkpoints are
Any checkpoint in any terminal reaches every gate on foot, with a same-day boarding pass. Each checkpoint is lettered for the gates nearest it: A, B, D, F and G, with a second B checkpoint on the mezzanine level. From flysfo.com, read 15 October 2026.
PreCheck and CLEAR lanes
Every checkpoint has PreCheck and CLEAR lanes. From flysfo.com, read 15 October 2026.
When each checkpoint is open
From flysfo.com, read 19 October 2026.
- Checkpoint A
- 4:15 am to 2:00 am
- Checkpoint B - Departure Level
- 3:15 am to 12:30 am
- Checkpoint B - Mezzanine Level
- 4:00 am to 11:00 pm
- Checkpoint D
- 3:15 am to 12:30 am
- Checkpoint F
- 3:15 am to 12:30 am
- Checkpoint G
- 4:30 am to 2:00 am
Which terminal each airline uses
United's domestic flights use Terminals 2 and 3. From flysfo.com, read 15 October 2026.
- Harvey Milk Terminal 1
- Aer Lingus, Alaska and Hawaiian, American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Porter, Sun Country
- Terminal 2
- Air Canada, Breeze, Southwest, United (domestic), WestJet
- Terminal 3
- United (domestic)
- International Terminal G
- Air China, Air New Zealand, ANA, Lufthansa, Swiss, United (international)
- International Terminal A
- Aeromexico, Air France, Air India, Air Premia, Asiana, Avianca, British Airways, Cathay Pacific, China Airlines, China Eastern, China Southern, Condor, Copa, Emirates, EVA Air, Fiji Airways, Flair, French Bee, Iberia, ITA Airways, Japan Airlines, KLM, Korean Air, LOT Polish, Philippine Airlines, Porter, Qantas, Qatar Airways, SAS, Singapore Airlines, STARLUX, TAP Air Portugal, Turkish Airlines, Vietnam Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, ZIPAIR
Which day SFO is busiest
Thursday is SFO's busiest day of the week, about 82,000 people screened on an average one, 30 percent more than Tuesday, the quietest.
| Rank | Day | People a day | Days counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Thursday | 81,886 | 23 |
| 2 | Friday | 80,793 | 23 |
| 3 | Sunday | 77,845 | 23 |
| 4 | Monday | 72,546 | 23 |
| 5 | Wednesday | 70,519 | 25 |
| 6 | Saturday | 68,306 | 23 |
| 7 | Tuesday | 63,107 | 23 |
People screened at SFO on an average day of each kind, from TSA's counts, 22 March to 24 October 2026, with the days around each holiday left out.
Which month SFO is busiest
Every month at SFO came within 15 percent of the busiest, June, at about 82,000 people a day. October, the latest month counted, ran 7 percent below June.
| Rank | Month | People a day | Days counted |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | June | 81,892 | 13 |
| 2 | July | 78,585 | 13 |
| 3 | October | 75,891 | 17 |
| 4 | May | 73,697 | 31 |
| 5 | March | 73,179 | 10 |
| 6 | August | 72,853 | 31 |
| 7 | September | 72,038 | 30 |
| 8 | April | 69,906 | 30 |
People screened at SFO on an average day of each month, holidays included, from TSA's counts, 22 March to 24 October 2026. March, June, July, and October rest on 10, 13, 13, and 17 counted days.
How SFO ran over the holidays
Each day around a holiday against the same day of the week in the three weeks either side, so the season does not read as the holiday. Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 are not in TSA's counts yet; they run to 24 October 2026.
Memorial Day 2026
Thursday 21 to Tuesday 26 May: the busiest day was Thursday 21 May, 88,842 people, 7 percent above the Thursdays around it. Sunday 24 May was the lightest for its day of the week, 10 percent below the Sundays around it.
Labor Day 2026
Thursday 3 to Tuesday 8 September: the busiest day was Friday 4 September, 86,079 people, 9 percent above the Fridays around it. Sunday 6 September was the lightest for its day of the week, 13 percent below the Sundays around it.
Questions people ask
How busy is SFO airport today?
At 7:39 am Pacific every open standard lane at SFO is 10 minutes or under. The longest standard line is Checkpoint B - Departure Level, 7 min. By TSA's counts 7 am is usually one of the busiest hours at SFO, about 5,100 people an hour across its checkpoints against 5,300 at the 11 am peak. On a normal day SFO screens about 74,000 people, 6th of the 432 airports TSA counts; its largest checkpoint is Checkpoint D, with 21 percent of them.
Does PreCheck have a shorter line at SFO?
Right now PreCheck lanes at SFO read 0 to 6 min. Standard lanes read 1 to 7 min. PreCheck is open at Checkpoint A, Checkpoint B - Mezzanine Level, Checkpoint D, Checkpoint F and Checkpoint G; check the sign above before walking to one.
Which SFO checkpoint is fastest right now?
At 7:39 am Pacific the shortest standard line is at Checkpoint A and Checkpoint D, 1 min. The sign above lists every checkpoint and lane the airport publishes, longest and shortest alike.
How current is this number?
San Francisco International Airport publishes the SFO wait times at flysfo.com and waittimes.io reads them every 10 minutes. The time on the sign is the last read, in Pacific time. A number older than 30 minutes says so, and a feed silent for 2 hours shows when it last published instead of a number. Nothing here is predicted.
When is TSA security at SFO quietest?
Over the 175 counted days, 22 March to 24 October 2026, SFO checkpoints screened the most people at 11 am. Between the rushes the counts are lowest at 7 pm, and they fall away after 10 pm. Each row of the map above is one checkpoint scaled to its own peak, so its green hours are the ones to aim for. Counts say when a checkpoint is loaded, not how long the line is.
What time does TSA open at SFO?
By the hours SFO posts on flysfo.com, read 19 October 2026, Checkpoint B - Departure Level, Checkpoint D and Checkpoint F open first, at 3:15 am, and close at 12:30 am. Checkpoint B - Mezzanine Level runs 4:00 am to 11:00 pm, Checkpoint A 4:15 am to 2:00 am and Checkpoint G 4:30 am to 2:00 am. Over the 175 counted days, 22 March to 24 October 2026, SFO screened passengers from 3 am to 11 pm. Those are the hours TSA counted people. Airports change their hours, so check flysfo.com before an early flight.
What is the busiest day of the week at SFO?
Thursday is SFO's busiest day of the week, about 82,000 people screened on an average one, 30 percent more than Tuesday, the quietest. Averaged over 163 days of TSA counts, 22 March to 24 October 2026, with the days around each holiday left out.
Which month is busiest at SFO?
Every month at SFO came within 15 percent of the busiest, June, at about 82,000 people a day. October, the latest month counted, ran 7 percent below June. Averaged over 175 days of TSA counts, 22 March to 24 October 2026. March, June, July, and October rest on 10, 13, 13, and 17 counted days.
How busy does SFO get on a holiday weekend?
Memorial Day 2026, Thursday 21 to Tuesday 26 May: the busiest day was Thursday 21 May, 88,842 people, 7 percent above the Thursdays around it. Sunday 24 May was the lightest for its day of the week, 10 percent below the Sundays around it. Labor Day 2026, Thursday 3 to Tuesday 8 September: the busiest day was Friday 4 September, 86,079 people, 9 percent above the Fridays around it. Sunday 6 September was the lightest for its day of the week, 13 percent below the Sundays around it. Each day is set against the same day of the week in the three weeks either side. Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 are not in TSA's counts yet; they run to 24 October 2026.
Other airports
Every covered airport, ranked by its line right now, is on the national page, with the airports that have no live number here under it. The busiest airports by people screened lists every code TSA counts.
ATL, BOS, BWI, CLE, CLT, DAL, DCA, DFW, DTW, EWR, IAH, JAX, JFK, LGA, MCO, MIA, MSP, PHL, PHX, PIT, SEA, SLC
Where the numbers come from
- Wait times
- Published by San Francisco International Airport at flysfo.com. We read the page every 10 minutes and show the time of the last read. A reading older than 30 minutes is marked as such.
- Usual busyness
- TSA's own hourly passenger counts per checkpoint, published weekly in its FOIA reading room. This page uses 175 days of counts, 22 March to 24 October 2026. Public domain.
- Checkpoints and airlines
- Read once on San Francisco's own site and linked beside each fact, with the day it was read. Never from another site.
- Who reads them
- Arcane Digital, which runs waittimes.io, reads every feed every 10 minutes with its own collector and stores the time of each read. The day's reads are checked every night for a feed that has stopped or thinned, and one person reads that report the next morning. Nobody types a number in.
- What we never do
- Predict a wait in minutes, or show an old number as if it were current.
- Every feed
- How each one is read, the TSA counts and who to write to: the sources page.