TSA Watch: ORD

TSA wait times at O'Hare have shown significant variation. Official TSA alerts reported 83 minutes average wait times across all security lines (Mon Mar 23, 2:16 PM ET), a spike of about 80 minutes above typical. However, earlier that same morning (Mon Mar 23, 8:35 AM ET), travelers reported lines were "basically non-existent," and by mid-morning (Mon Mar 23, 10:01 AM ET), waits had dropped to under 10 minutes for some passengers.

TSA PreCheck lines have consistently moved faster. Multiple travelers reported clearing security in 5–7 minutes with PreCheck across various terminals, including Terminal 2 (Mon Mar 23, 8:36 PM ET), Terminal 5 (Mon Mar 23, 1:19 PM ET), and general reports from the previous two Sundays (Mon Mar 23, 11:21 PM ET). One traveler with Clear + PreCheck was through screening in 6 minutes (Mon Mar 23, 10:01 AM ET). General security lines without PreCheck have shown waits ranging from 15–20 minutes (Mon Mar 23, 10:48 AM ET and Fri Mar 21, 8:08 PM ET).

Time-of-day patterns suggest early morning tends to be smoother. Travelers passing through at 8–10 AM (Mon Mar 23, 8:35 AM–10:01 AM ET) reported minimal delays, while afternoon hours appear more congested, with the 83-minute alert issued at 2:16 PM ET. If you're traveling through O'Hare, arrive at least 1.5–2 hours early for standard security, or 45 minutes–1 hour early if you have TSA PreCheck. Morning departures may offer slightly faster processing.