SFO security waits low
San Francisco International was reporting manageable TSA security lines on April 16 with waits around 18 minutes and an expected range of 15–25 minutes as spring travel picks up. (ibtimes.com.au)
Security lines at San Francisco International Airport stayed moderate on Thursday, April 16, with most travelers facing about 15 to 25 minutes at checkpoints. (ibtimes.com.au) Mid-morning waits were averaging about 18 minutes in standard lanes, while some off-peak windows dipped to 8 to 10 minutes. TSA PreCheck lanes were often clearing in under five minutes where they were open. (ibtimes.com.au) San Francisco International has six passenger checkpoints across its four terminals, and the airport says ticketed passengers can use any checkpoint with a valid same-day boarding pass and then walk to all gates once inside security. Checkpoints A and G in the International Terminal stay open until 2 a.m., while B, D and F1 close at 12:30 a.m. and the Terminal 1 mezzanine checkpoint closes at 11 p.m. (flysfo.com, flysfo.com) The airport is handling those lines while moving large volumes of traffic. San Francisco International reported 54,118,814 passengers in fiscal year 2025 and 7,226 nonstop departures a week, with United Airlines holding 48.7 percent of seats, the largest share at the airport. (flysfo.com) San Francisco International uses a different screening setup than most large United States airports. The airport says it is the largest participant in the Transportation Security Administration Screening Partnership Program, with screening carried out by Covenant Aviation Security under federal oversight. (flysfo.com, flysfo.com) That model has become part of how San Francisco International explains steadier operations during periods that have strained other airports. The airport says Covenant screeners are paid through a different funding source than federal screeners, a point it has highlighted in past service advisories. (flysfo.com) Travelers still need to budget more time than the live number on the screen. The airport recommends arriving at least two hours before domestic flights and three hours before international departures, and the Department of Homeland Security says Transportation Security Administration wait-time data is available through the MyTSA app. (ibtimes.com.au, dhs.gov) For Thursday’s departures, that left San Francisco International in a relatively calm spot for a 54 million-passenger airport: not empty, but moving. (flysfo.com, ibtimes.com.au)
