San Diego Airport Security Wait Times – A Complete Guide For Travelers

San Diego International Airport is one of the all-time 24×7 working airports in San Diego city of California State.

It is established in a total area of 663 acres which makes it the largest airport in the city and also the busiest international airport.

While talking about the San Diego Airport Security Wait Times then TSA authorities handle the situation at the checkpoints.

At terminal 1 and terminal 2, the lowest waiting time and the longest waiting time will be discussed further in this article.

A List of San Diego Airport Security Line Wait Times in the Working Hours

Here, in the list, you will get to know about the San Diego Airport Security Check wait time considering the hours and the taken time.

You will be aware of how much time you are going to take standing in line for the security check and complete all the security procedures.

It includes the terminal 1 security along with the terminal 2 security wait times to complete the check-in Process.

The Minimum Waiting Time – A passenger will have to wait for at least 3 minutes in two working hours from 12:00 PM to 1:00 PM and 6:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

The Maximum Waiting Time – The Maximum waiting time for the passengers will be 28 minutes from 4:00 PM to 5:00 PM in a queue.

Zero Waiting Time – There is also a time for a passenger in a queue with Zero waiting time from 1:00 PM to 2:00 PM working hours.

San Diego Airport Terminal 1 Security Wait Times & Checkpoints Gates

The San Diego Airport Terminal 1 has a total number of 11 gates to enter the airport and every gate has checkpoints for security purposes.

It includes the different checkpoints with different numbers which come in use from time to time and not all the checkpoint gates work at one time.

The list of terminal 1 checkpoints starts with the 1, 1A, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, and 10 which help to reduce the waiting time at the San Diego Airport.

Other facilities of having tasty food in San Diego Airport near Terminal 1 to enjoy eating your favorite dish and wait for your turn in the queue for check-in.

Security Check-in gates at Terminal 1 East side – 1, 1A, and 2 to 10 number of gates

Security Check-in gates at Terminal 1 West side – 11 to 18 number of gates

San Diego Airport Terminal 2 Security Wait Times and Checkpoints Gates

The Terminal 2 of San Diego Airport has many checkpoint gates which are divided into two parts of East Side and West side.

The East Side of the Terminal 2 has 13 different gates with security checkpoints with each of them and the gate number starts from 20 to 32.

Two different destinations including Alaska and American Airlines use the East side gates for the check-in purpose of all the passengers.

The west side of terminal 2 also provides the facility of security checkpoints including the maximum 19 gates whose numbers start from 33 to 51.

These maximum gates of the West side are usually operated and used by many airlines such as Delta Airlines and British Airlines to operate flights for passengers.

Security Check-in gates at Terminal 2 East side – 13 gates (20 to 32 numbers of gates)

Security Check-in gates at Terminal 2 West side – 19 gates (33 to 51 numbers of gates)

The Average, Best, and Worst Security wait times at San Diego Airport

As per the official data by San Diego Airport in terms of security waits such as Best, Worst, and Average TSA security wait times at San Diego Airport are discussed as under…

The Average Security Wait Time – Is around 15.5 minutes as per official data provided by San Diego International Airport.

The Best Security Wait Time – The best time to check in for security at the airport is in the night of 10:00 PM to 11:00 PM including the two days of Friday and Saturday.

The Worst Security Wait Time – As we all know that Monday is a hard day for working then it is Monday with the longest waiting time of 38 minutes in the morning from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM.

Tips for San Diego International Airport Security Wait Times

For avoiding the long waiting lines at the San Diego Airport, TSA Authorities have provided many tips for passengers.

After following the described tips, you can easily understand the different ways to not to stand in a lane for a long time.

1. Reach Before time at the airport

If you reach the airport before some time for the security check then you can easily avoid the long and fatigue line.

Considering the early time, you are requested to visit the airport 2 hrs. early just before your check-in time for time.

If you do so, then you can verify everything in a short period of time and get on the flight earlier than other passengers.

2. Ready with the printed ID and Tickets

You should always pre ready with your flight travel id and the flight ticket before started waiting in the lane.

Because, at the time in the waiting line if you remember that your ID is not ready then your maximum time is going to waste.

You are always suggested to carry the documents in many printed hard copies in case of lost id before flight to show at the Security checkpoint.

3. Turn on the 1690 AM (Amplitude Modulation)

There is also a unique way to check the updates for the security check which is the 1690 AM channel in the Radio Station.

You can turn on this channel on your mobile radio and get updated with all the information related to security check-in time.

By this, you can manage your time to reach the airport before and on time to complete the security process by avoiding the long queue.

Covid 19 Safety on Security Wait time at San Diego Airport

Passengers are requested to follow the Covid 19 rules while waiting for the check-in process in a long queue.

A list is described by the TSA Officer and other airport authorities advising the passengers to strictly follow the guidelines as Covid 19 policy.

1. Wear a Face mask (Optional)

You can wear the face mask inside the airport but as optional. It is not fully allowed by the airport authority to wear passengers.

In the long waiting line, you can wear the mask for your own safety to avoid any harmful disease from the other passengers.

But in the heavy rush inside the airport or at the security checkpoints, you are strictly imposed to wear a face mask by the airport authority.

2. Covid-19 Test (Optional)

So, talking about the covid 19 test and getting the report at the airport for verification purposes.

Then, it is not mandatory for all the passengers to get the test for the proof, you can go for the security check-in without covid 19 test.  

However, you can read the covid guidelines before going to get the boarding pass after checking at security checkpoints.

San Diego International Airport provides all the facilities of the security checkpoints to all the passengers to minimize the San Diego Airport Security Check wait time with full efforts to complete the check-in procedure as early as possible.

You can follow the guidelines including the tips provided by the Airport Authorities to avoid a long time in the queue and get ease in the security check-in procedure.