Security Wait Times At John F. Kennedy International Airport
Waiting for security checks may be a troublesome affair. So, knowing the security wait times beforehand will surely help you plan your travel accordingly. If you are at the JFK Airport it will help when you know about the wait times prior to ensure a smooth travel.
Custom and Security Wait Times At JFK
Here is an insight into the custom and security wait times at John F. Kennedy International Airport. We have mentioned individually about the two in the sections to follow:
Waiting at the Security Checks At Different Terminals at JFK
When you are awaiting a security check, here is the average waiting time for general and TSA PreCheck. It is quite obvious that TSA counters provide you with the option of expedited screening.
| Terminals | General Line | TSA Pre Line |
| 1 | 18 minutes | 3 minutes |
| 4 | 7 minutes | 5 minutes |
| 5 | 9 minutes | 3 minutes |
| 7 | 9 minutes | – |
| 8 | 22 minutes | 5 minutes |
The times mentioned above are given on an average and may vary as per the time of the day you are at the airport and even the season. Like peak seasons and holidays means more wait time than off-peak or shoulder seasons. In fact, during peak hours your wait time can be extended to as much as 30-35 minutes.
Customs Wait Times At JFK
Passengers availing of MPC (Mobile Passport Control) or those who have been enrolled into the CBP (United States Customs and Border Protection) Trusted Traveller Program are likely to experience a short processing time at the custom check. At terminal 4, customer inspection takes an average of 40 minutes.
Taxi Wait Times at the JFK Airport
All the terminal buildings of JFK have metered taxis. The calculations of wait times are done on a real time basis and the update is done throughout the day which may again be subject to change.
| Terminals | Average Wait Times |
| 1 | 1 minute |
| 4 | 8 minute |
| 5 | 1 minute |
| 7 | 1 minute |
| 8 | 2 minute |
Walk Times at JFK From the Terminal Security Checkpoint
After you have completed your security checks, walking up to the gate might sometimes be a little time consuming. Here is the estimated time on an average to go to the security checkpoints from the respective gates.
| Terminal | Gate Numbers | Wait Time on An Average |
| 1 | 1 to 4 | 1 to 2 minutes |
| 1 | 5 to 11 | 3 to 4 minutes |
| 4 | A 3 to B25 | 3 to 5 minutes |
| 4 | B 26 to B33 | 7 to 11 minutes |
| 4 | B 34 to 42 | 12 to 14 minutes |
| 4 | B 43 to 55 | 15 to 18 minutes |
| 5 | 1 to 11 | 2 to 4 minutes |
| 5 | 18 to 27 | 2 to 4 minutes |
| 5 | 12 to 17 | 5 to 7 minutes |
| 5 | 28 to 30 | 5 to 7 minutes |
| 7 | All gates | 1 to 2 minutes |
| 8 | 5 -1 6 | 2 to 4 minutes |
| 8 | 1-4 | 5 to 8 minutes |
| 8 | 40 – 47 | 5 to 8 minutes |
| 8 | 31 A-39 | 8 to 11 minutes |
Conclusion
As mentioned already the security wait times are subject to change depending on the time of the day you check in. While peak hours will trigger more wait times, off-peak hours or seasons means less wait times.
FAQs
The security wait times vary from time to time. For example at Terminal 1 it takes 18 minutes in the general line and around three minutes in the case of TSA PreCheck.
It actually depends on the peak and non peak times. Sometimes it could be as less as 7 to 10 minutes, while during peak hours the time may be as much as 30-35 minutes as well.
For domestic travel it is feasible to reach as early as two hours. However, in the case of international travel arriving at least three hours before the departure time is advisable.
To check the TSA wait times, you can access the MyTSA apps to know about the live wait times across different airports. However, to know about the JFK wait times at general and TSA PreCheck counters you may check the JFK’s official website as well.