Ronald Reagan Washington National security wait times: what to expect
From October 13 to November 9 we logged 350,637 security checkpoint readings at Ronald Reagan Washington National. The standard lane averaged 5 minutes, and TSA PreCheck averaged 5 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 DCA is longest around 6 AM, when it has averaged 6 minutes, and shortest around midnight, at 4 minutes. By day of the week, Saturday has been the heaviest (5 minutes on average) and Wednesday the lightest (5 minutes).
| Time of day | Standard | PreCheck |
|---|
| Early morning (4–8 AM) | 6 min | 5 min |
| Morning (8 AM–noon) | 5 min | 5 min |
| Midday (noon–4 PM) | 5 min | 5 min |
| Evening (4–8 PM) | 5 min | 5 min |
| Night (8 PM–4 AM) | 4 min | 4 min |
Average wait across the last 28 days. A dash means the lane is usually closed then.
Is PreCheck worth it at DCA?
PreCheck and standard waits have been almost the same here, within a minute of each other on average, so PreCheck matters less at DCA than at busier checkpoints.
Terminal by terminal
Terminal 2 South has had the shortest standard line (5 minutes on average) and Terminal 2 North the longest (6 minutes). Security is separate in each terminal, so the one that matters is the one your airline uses.
Common questions
- What is the best time to go through security at DCA?
- Over the last 28 days the standard lane has been quietest around midnight, averaging 4 minutes, and Wednesday has been the lightest day.
- Which terminal at DCA has the shortest security line?
- On average, Terminal 2 South (5 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 DCA?
To plan your arrival, use the worst hour rather than the average: at DCA that is 6 minutes in the standard lane around 6 AM. Allow that on top of your airline's check-in and bag-drop deadlines, and more on Saturdays 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.