Houston (IAH) TSA wait times
Security at George Bush Intercontinental Airport is running about 4 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 5 to 10 minutes at 11 pm on a Sunday. PreCheck is moving in about 3 minutes.IAH security is about 4 minutes now, usually 5 to 10 at this hour. Busiest 10 to 11 AM and 4 to 6 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 5 to 10 minutes now
Down 21 min since 5 pm.
When is IAH security busiest?
The left chart shows today's security wait hour by hour, built from IAH's own departure schedule. The right ranks the days of the week by how long the wait gets. The calmest window is (21, 3); plan around the 10 to 11 AM and 4 to 6 PM rushes.Calmest (21, 3). Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| 11 pm (Now) | 0 flights | 4 min |
| midnight | 0 flights | 4 min |
| 1 am | 0 flights | 4 min |
| 2 am | 1 flights | 4 min |
| 3 am | 5 flights | 5 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Terminals and security at IAH
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.
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
IAH security, common questions
How early should I get to IAH?
For a domestic flight out of Houston, 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 IAH security?
Monday around 5 pm, when 31 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Tuesday at 8 pm, at roughly 6 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at IAH?
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 IAH?
George Bush Intercontinental 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.
Tips for IAH, from the data
- Fly between (21, 3) if you can. That window sits between the two daily rushes, when the checkpoint is at its calmest.
- The 5 pm hour is the single busiest today, at about 25 minutes in the standard lane.
- United runs 65% of departures here, so its checkpoints and gates carry the most traffic. Which airline you fly is what decides your terminal.
- Delta 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.