Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall security wait times: what to expect
From October 13 to November 9 we logged 360,488 security checkpoint readings at Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall. The standard lane averaged 3 minutes, and TSA PreCheck averaged 2 minutes. 98% of standard-lane readings were 10 minutes or less, and none were over half an hour.
When the line is longest
The standard line at BWI is longest around 7 AM, when it has averaged 4 minutes, and shortest around 2 AM, at 1 minute. By day of the week, Thursday has been the heaviest (3 minutes on average) and Tuesday the lightest (2 minutes).
| Time of day | Standard | PreCheck |
|---|---|---|
| Early morning (4–8 AM) | 4 min | 3 min |
| Morning (8 AM–noon) | 3 min | 2 min |
| Midday (noon–4 PM) | 3 min | 2 min |
| Evening (4–8 PM) | 3 min | 2 min |
| Night (8 PM–4 AM) | 1 min | 2 min |
Average wait across the last 28 days. A dash means the lane is usually closed then.
Is PreCheck worth it at BWI?
PreCheck and standard waits have been almost the same here, within a minute of each other on average, so PreCheck matters less at BWI than at busier checkpoints.
Terminal by terminal
Checkpoint B has had the shortest standard line (2 minutes on average) and Checkpoint A the longest (3 minutes). Security is separate in each terminal, so the one that matters is the one your airline uses.
| Terminal | Standard avg | PreCheck avg | Busiest hour | Airlines |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Checkpoint A | 3 min | 2 min | 7 AM | — |
| Checkpoint B | 2 min | 2 min | 7 AM | — |
| Checkpoint BC | 3 min | 2 min | 7 AM | — |
| Checkpoint DE | 3 min | 3 min | 1 PM | — |
Common questions
- What is the best time to go through security at BWI?
- Over the last 28 days the standard lane has been quietest around 2 AM, averaging 1 minute, and Tuesday has been the lightest day.
- Which terminal at BWI has the shortest security line?
- On average, Checkpoint B (2 minutes). You can only use the checkpoint for your own terminal, though, so check which terminal your airline flies from in the finder above.
- How early should I get to BWI?
To plan your arrival, use the worst hour rather than the average: at BWI that is 4 minutes in the standard lane around 7 AM. Allow that on top of your airline's check-in and bag-drop deadlines, and more on Thursdays and holiday weekends. The live board above shows what the line is doing right now, and the chart projects the next 12 hours.
Where these numbers come from
Each airport publishes its own checkpoint wait estimates. This site reads them every minute and keeps every reading. Closed lanes are left out of the averages, and times are local to the airport. The averages above cover the last 28 days and are recalculated every hour. The posted wait is the airport's estimate, not a timed measurement, so treat it as a guide.
The full archive is free to download as an open dataset, and the about page explains who runs the site and why.