TSA Tracker Data Methodology

Last updated: April 2026

This page explains exactly how TSA Tracker collects and displays wait-time data, what counts as “live,” where estimates may appear, and what limitations users should understand before making travel decisions.

1. Data Source Policy

We only list an airport as “live” when we can pull data from an official airport-controlled system. We do not fabricate coverage, and we do not mark an airport live based solely on historical averages.

Accepted source types: official airport APIs, official airport pages with machine-readable wait-time data, or airport-operated data endpoints embedded in their own website/app.
Rejected source types: crowdsourced check-ins, unofficial scrapes of user comments, and third-party predictions with no official feed backing.

2. Collection Cadence and Freshness

TSA Tracker polls active airport feeds approximately every 2 minutes. Each record includes a timestamp for when the reading was captured. If a live source becomes unavailable, we retain transparency by labeling data state in our API and fallback behavior.

Normal polling interval: ~120 seconds.
Data staleness window for “latest snapshot”: 15 minutes.
History window shown on the site: last 12 hours.

3. How “Current Wait” Is Calculated

When an airport exposes multiple checkpoints and lanes, TSA Tracker aggregates active rows into a single “current wait” summary while still preserving lane/checkpoint breakdown in the live cards. Closed lanes (0-minute rows) are excluded from the average if open-lane rows exist.

If open-lane data is available, average uses open lanes only.
If all rows are zero or closed, we still return a valid response with closed/low values.
Lane categories are normalized to Standard, PreCheck, Clear, and Clear+PreCheck where available.

4. Forecasting and Fallback Behavior

Hourly forecast values are planning aids, not promises. They blend airport-specific historical factors with the latest observed wait value. If no fresh live data is available, the site provides an estimated fallback and marks that state in API metadata.

5. Current Live Airport Coverage

The airports below are currently wired to live integrations in production:

PHL

Philadelphia International (PHL)

LIVE PUBLIC

MIA

Miami International (MIA)

LIVE KEY REQUIRED

ORD

Chicago O'Hare International (ORD)

LIVE PUBLIC

CLT

Charlotte Douglas International (CLT)

LIVE KEY REQUIRED

MCO

Orlando International (MCO)

LIVE KEY REQUIRED

JAX

Jacksonville International (JAX)

LIVE PUBLIC

DFW

Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW)

LIVE KEY EMBEDDED

LAX

Los Angeles International (LAX)

LIVE PUBLIC

JFK

John F. Kennedy International (JFK)

LIVE PUBLIC

EWR

Newark Liberty International (EWR)

LIVE PUBLIC

LGA

LaGuardia Airport (LGA)

LIVE PUBLIC

SEA

Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA)

LIVE PUBLIC

6. Known Limitations

Airport feeds may lag, break, or temporarily report stale values.
Some airports expose aggregate checkpoint estimates instead of lane-level readings.
Wait times can change rapidly due to staffing shifts, weather disruptions, and irregular ops.

7. Editorial and Correction Policy

When users report inaccuracies, we investigate source behavior and parser logic, then patch collection code where needed. We prioritize transparent source coverage over claiming broad but low-confidence airport support. To report a data issue, contact benbirkhahn10@gmail.com with airport code, timestamp, and what you observed.