Expanded terminal opens at Wilmington Airport
An expanded terminal for passengers has opened at the Wilmington Airport. 2/6/25
Flying out of Philadelphia International Airport this weekend or early next week? you’ll likely have a lot of company, and you’ll need to prepare for extended TSA wait times.
PHL is considered a Core 30 airport by the Federal Aviation Administration, meaning it is one of the 30 busiest airports in the country. That, along with Fridays being among the busiest air travel days according to OAG Aviation Worldwide Limited, means knowing TSA wait times is more crucial than ever for your travel plans.
Here’s what weekend flyers need to know.
What is the TSA wait time at PHL right now?
According to Philadelphia International Airport’s real-time TSA average wait time website, it’ll take roughly 30 minutes to pass through TSA security as of Friday morning, March 20.
- Terminal A-East (4:15 a.m. – 10:15 p.m.): security wait time, 5 minutes
- Terminal B (3:30 a.m. – 9:30 p.m.): security wait time, 30 minutes
- Terminal D/E (3 a.m. – 10:30 p.m.): security wait time, 30 minutes
Your wait time could be reduced if you have TSA PreCheck, particularly at Terminal D/E, which would shave 25 minutes off your wait time.
You should check PHL’s website often if you have a flight departing PHL this weekend or early next week.
Will TSA reimburse me for missed flight?
The Transportation Safety Administration has no program to reimburse flyers who missed flights because they were delayed by the TSA security process.
You can purchase third-party travel insurance to reimburse the cost of your missed flight, however.
PHL flights delayed by terminal closings, TSA cutbacks
Regardless of the listed TSA wait times on PHL’s website, you should give yourself additional time to pass through security.
TSA closed Terminal C at Philadelphia International Airport in early March, and days later, the transportation agency closed Terminal A-West and Terminal F.
Those closures will add more volume to the remaining terminals.
The ongoing partial federal government shutdown is also impacting air travel nationwide, as the TSA absence rate stood at roughly 10%, further straining the screening process and extending wait times.
(This story has been updated to correct a misspelling in a headline)
Damon C. Williams is a Philadelphia-based journalist reporting on trending topics across the Mid-Atlantic Region.
