How early should I get to SFO?

San Francisco International Airport, San Francisco, CA · Checked Oct 14, 2026

The short answer

SFO says arrival recommendations vary by airline and day of travel; it cites TSA's advice to arrive 2 hours before domestic flights

SFO cites TSA's advice to arrive 3 hours before international flights

Those are blanket rules. Your real number depends on your terminal, the time of day, traffic from your door, and whether you have PreCheck or a bag. Leave By works out your exact leave time.

Source: flysfo.com

Security lines at SFO

SFO does not publish typical waits, but its Check In & Security page shows live General and PreCheck wait times for each checkpoint. SFO says TSA PreCheck waits average 5 minutes or less.

Nationally, TSA checkpoints are busiest from 5 to 7 AM local time. See TSA's hourly numbers and the busiest days to fly.

TSA PreCheck: SFO says every checkpoint offers TSA PreCheck, Priority and CLEAR lanes. At Terminal 1, the live board lists PreCheck at the Mezzanine Level checkpoint (4:00 a.m.-11:00 p.m.), not at the Departures Level one.

CLEAR: Available at this airport (see terminals below for which checkpoints).

Touchless ID: TSA PreCheck Touchless ID is offered in Domestic Terminals 1, 2 and 3 for Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest and United passengers who opt in with their airline. You still need to carry a REAL ID-compliant physical ID.

Terminals and checkpoints

Harvey Milk Terminal 1

Alaska, Hawaiian, American, Delta, JetBlue, Frontier, Sun Country, Porter, Aer Lingus

Security Checkpoint B (Departures Level)CLEARHours 3:15 a.m. to 12:30 a.m. SFO's live wait board lists general screening on the Departures Level and TSA PreCheck on the Mezzanine Level.

Security Checkpoint B (Mezzanine Level)PreCheckHours 4:00 a.m. to 11:00 p.m.

Gates B1-B27
SFO directs connecting passengers bound for B and C gates to the Harvey Milk Terminal 1 checkpoint
AirTrain station reached via Mezzanine Level 3 and the skybridge

Terminal 2

United (domestic), Southwest, Air Canada, WestJet, Breeze

Security Checkpoint DPreCheckCLEARHours 3:15 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.

SFO lists Terminal 2 gates as C1-C11 and D1-D18
United passengers departing from D and E gates should check in at the United counters on the west side of Terminal 2
The Terminal 2 AirTrain station now serves both Terminals 2 and 3 ("Terminals 2 & 3 AirTrain Station")
Air Canada checks in, boards and claims bags in Terminal 2, not the International Terminal

Terminal 3

United (domestic)

Security Checkpoint F1PreCheckCLEARHours 3:15 a.m. to 12:30 a.m.

Gates E2-E13 and F5-F22 (United)
Terminal 3 West modernization under way: Departures Level curb and drop-off lane closed between Doors 6-13
United counters at the west end of Terminal 3 are closed; use east-end counters for F-gate flights
Terminal 3 AirTrain station closed until the new facility opens in 2027; use the Terminals 2 & 3 station
Interim post-security walkways connect E gates, F gates and International G gates around the construction

Dianne Feinstein International Terminal, Boarding Area A

British Airways, Emirates, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines, Korean Air, Japan Airlines, EVA Air, Qantas, Air France, KLM, Turkish Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Aeromexico, Air India, Qatar Airways

Security Checkpoint APreCheckCLEARHours 4:15 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.

Check-in desks are on the Departures Level of the International Terminal Main Hall
CLEAR's primary TSA PreCheck enrollment location here is open 7 a.m.-8 p.m. daily, no appointment needed

Dianne Feinstein International Terminal, Boarding Area G

United (international), Lufthansa, Swiss, ANA, Air China, Air New Zealand

Security Checkpoint GPreCheckCLEARHours 4:30 a.m. to 2:00 a.m.

SFO BART station is on the Departures/Ticketing Level of the International Terminal, G side
Walking is SFO's recommended way between the International Terminal and Terminal 3

Between terminals: All terminals are connected by walkways before and after security, and you can enter at any checkpoint with a same-day boarding pass. AirTrain (free, 24 hours, as often as every 4 minutes) Red Line loops all terminals, garages and BART in about 9 minutes; the Blue Line adds the Rental Car Center and Long-Term Parking (about 25-minute loop).

Terminals are connected after security, so you can walk between them without re-screening.

Getting to SFO

Rideshare and taxi: Lyft, Uber and Wingz drop off curbside on the Departures level of the domestic terminals; SFO suggests asking for an Arrivals level or garage drop-off at peak times. Domestic Lyft and Uber pickups are on Level 5 of the Domestic Garage. Waymo autonomous rides are available to select users in a pilot program.

Transit: BART stops inside the International Terminal (G side), and BART says the ride to downtown San Francisco takes about 30 minutes. Domestic terminals reach it on the free AirTrain. Weekday BART service from SFO starts at 4:58 a.m. and Sunday service at 8:08 a.m. Caltrain connects via BART at Millbrae, and SamTrans Route 292 stops at the terminals.

Driving and parking: Curbs are for active drop-off only, with no waiting. Kiss & Fly drop-off is at the Rental Car Center on North McDonnell Rd, which connects to the terminals by AirTrain Blue Line. Parking options are the Domestic Garage (6'6" clearance), International Garages A and G, ParkFAST, Long-Term and Grand Hyatt valet; you can book online and change or cancel up to 2 hours before entry.

Construction and changes in 2026

Terminal 3 West modernization: the Departures Level curb is closed between Doors 6-13. SFO suggests dropping off at Terminal 2 or the Terminal 3 Arrivals level, especially in the morning.
The Terminal 3 AirTrain station is closed until 2027, and the Terminal 2 station serves both terminals
The F walkway from the Domestic Garage is closed; follow signs to the E walkway
Runway 1R was closed for repaving from March 30, 2026, causing flight delays. On Sept 16, 2026, SFO said it would reopen no later than Sept 29, 2026, ahead of schedule.

Checking a bag

Delta: bags at least 45 min before departure, check-in at least 30 min without bags, at the gate 15 min before. Southwest: bags 45 min, check-in 30 min (domestic). Alaska: check-in and bag drop typically close 40 min before departure. SFO Remote Bag Check (Rental Car Center and Long-Term Parking, 4 a.m.-8 p.m.) requires bags at least 90 min before departure.

SFO tips first-timers miss

United flying from D or E gates: check in at the United counters on the west side of Terminal 2. Use the Terminal 3 counters only for F-gate flights.
Without bags to check, SFO suggests getting dropped at Terminal 2 and using that checkpoint, since all gates connect after security
Free Remote Bag Check at the Rental Car Center (Kiss & Fly) and Long-Term Parking lets you check bags for domestic flights on participating airlines, including Alaska, American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue and United. It's open 4 a.m.-8 p.m., and bags must be in at least 90 min before departure.
BART tells travelers with early Sunday-morning flights to make other plans because Sunday service starts late
Checkpoints B, D and F1 open at 3:15 a.m.; Checkpoint A opens at 4:15 a.m. and G at 4:30 a.m.
Without an acceptable ID, TSA ConfirmID costs $45 and takes 10-15 minutes on average, sometimes 30+ minutes

Leaving for SFO?

Pick your flight and where you're starting. Leave By checks live traffic, security lines and your terminal, and tells you the minute to walk out the door.