This Is Usually the Shortest Line at the Airport, According to Science

You get to the airport and—ugh!—there’s a long line waiting to go through security. You feel your panic meter kicking in, especially if you’re already running late. But here you are, so what can you do to get through the security checkpoint as quickly as possible? Which Transportation Security Administration (TSA) line do you choose?

It turns out there’s a science to why certain lines move quicker than others—and fortunately, you can make some key decisions that really make a difference the next time you’re at the airport, according to Jamol J. Pender, a professor at Cornell University who studies lines and human behavior. He also travels: “I have a family, and we’re slow,” he says. “Anytime we’re traveling with the kids, we’ve got three car seats and all this extra stuff and the stuffies. Somebody’s always crying.”

I asked him for his best advice—from his research and from personal experience—on which lines are fastest, and dug through other research to figure out just what’s going on with our choices. Read on for great tips that will help you fly through security and make sure you’re not the person who winds up crying.

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Which TSA line is typically the shortest?

Start by looking left: Lines on the left side tend to be shorter than those in the middle or on the right. Researchers speculate that this is because most people are right-handed, so we tend to go right naturally. And because we read left to right, our attention naturally pauses on the right rather than the “starting over” point that’s found by looking left. So fewer people will be looking left toward that line, making it a potentially shorter choice for you.

As for the longest lines, those are typically the middle ones. They’re often right there in front of us, so we tend to gravitate to them. That’s thanks to a scientific concept called central fixation bias, aka the center-stage effect, in which we perceive the person or thing in the middle as being the most important. This tendency motivates us to look at the center of a screen, a ballot, a supermarket shelf—or a collection of TSA lanes.

Of course, choosing the shortest line isn’t guaranteed to move you through security the fastest, but knowing the science can help you make an informed decision. Coming up, we’ll tell you how to make some key decisions to pick the fastest one.

How can you pick the fastest security line at the airport?

Pender says the shortest line is only the beginning. But it’s hard to predict which line is definitely the fastest because it depends on a lot of things: the airline, the airport, the time of day, the agents working and other people traveling at the same time. Noticing who is in line already and choosing your path accordingly can be even more important than line length. Here’s what to do:

Look for frequent fliers: Typically, these are solo business travelers, not vacationers who may travel only occasionally. Any group with little kids will move more slowly, as will big tour groups or high-school sports teams, for example. Any group that’s trying to stick together can’t move as nimbly as solo travelers and should be avoided.
Ignore the wait-time signs: Surprisingly, Pender advises ignoring the signs telling you how many minutes you’ll wait. “Whatever the sign indicates, I tend to do the opposite,” he says. The signs are only updated every so often, according to his research, and they’re generally accurate only for a short time. After that, they’re often flat-out wrong, he says.
Avoid people with lots of bags: People who check their luggage tend to move faster through security because they have less stuff to scan, so follow travelers who have just a purse or a backpack. Pender says roller bags slow down the boarding process, and many airlines are increasingly having people gate check them instead of allowing them on board.
Pay attention to the agents: Are they hustling and keeping things moving? Or just going through the motions? While you’re waiting, take a peek at the overall flow of each line ahead of you and take the staffing levels and other potential holdups in each line into consideration.

Is TSA PreCheck worth it?

Typically, yes, says Pender, and statistics back him up. According to the TSA, 99% of PreCheck passengers get through security in under 10 minutes. (Standard lines usually take less than 30 minutes.)

“By and large, I think TSA-Pre folks have a sense [that] you want to get through the line faster,” says Pender. And even if the PreCheck lines look a little longer, they’re generally faster because they have more frequent fliers who know how to keep things moving. They also save time because people don’t have to do as many extra steps, like remove laptops and liquids from their bags.

There may be some exceptions, like one Pender has seen firsthand. “I will say that when I’ve gone to Orlando, Florida, so many people have TSA Pre [that] that line is actually sometimes longer, especially on Sunday or Monday morning when lots of people are traveling from the weekend; lots of kids are there,” he says.

Still, even if you fly infrequently or fly out of smaller airports where all fliers stand in one queue, PreCheck can help. “I live in Ithaca, where everybody gets in the same line,” Pender says. But even then, passengers with TSA PreCheck move faster through the line because they don’t have to remove jackets and other outerwear. “What’s interesting is that it saves time for everybody when you do that,” he adds. “You move faster through security, so you speed up everybody else’s time too.”

What can you do to move through airport security more quickly?

At a certain point, it’s all up to you. To speed up your trip through security, here are some things you can do:

Be ready: Pay attention, read the signs and follow the rules.
Wear shoes you can easily put on and take off: The TSA no longer requires you to take your shoes off preemptively, but it’s smart to be ready.
Be able to remove clothes easily: Don’t wear things that are guaranteed to slow you down, like overalls (the metal buckles set off the metal detectors—ask me how I know) or a belt that’s tricky to fasten.
Don’t carry a bunch of stuff in your pockets: Put all your stuff in your carry-on beforehand.
Drink up before you get to security: Put that empty water bottle in the security bin or carry-on.
Keep your boarding pass handy: This is why I always fly in cargo pants or with a cross-body bag with an easy-access pocket—it lets me grab my printed pass easily. I find that to be faster, but if you prefer to use the electronic boarding pass on your phone, pull it up beforehand and keep refreshing so you don’t have to keep starting over.

One final note: If you’re traveling with anything out of the ordinary, read the TSA rules before heading to the airport. I got a snow globe as a Christmas present one year, and when I went to fly, I packed it in my carry-on, thinking it would be safer there than in my checked bag. But that gel inside the globe is considered a liquid, so I had to leave it behind, resulting in another liquid—tears!

About the expert

Jamol J. Pender is associate director of graduate studies and an associate professor in the School of Operations Research and Information Engineering at Cornell University. He has a PhD from Princeton University, and his area of research is lines and how people wait in them.

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Reader’s Digest has published hundreds of travel stories that help readers explore the world safely, easily and affordably. We regularly cover topics such as the best places to visit (and the best times to visit them), tips and tricks to zoom through airport security, flight-attendant secrets, hotel-room hacks and more. We’re committed to producing high-quality content by writers with expertise and experience in their field in consultation with relevant, qualified experts. We rely on reputable primary sources, including government and professional organizations and academic institutions as well as our writers’ personal experiences where appropriate. We verify all facts and data, back them with credible sourcing, and revisit them over time to ensure they remain accurate and up to date. Read more about our team, our contributors and our editorial policies.

Sources:

Jamol J. Pender, associate director of graduate studies and an associate professor in the School of Operations Research and Information Engineering at Cornell University; interviewed, May 2026
Cornell University: “The temporal evolution of the central fixation bias in scene viewing”
Journal of Experimental Psychology: “Sequential effects modulate spatial biases”
Kent Hendricks: “Center Stage Effect”

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