SBA

TSA wait estimates · not live

How long is TSA at SBA? Typical wait by day and hour

TSA's own estimates put the longest standard-lane wait at SBA at about 20 min (on Sundays around 5 p.m.), and about 5 min in a typical daytime hour. The shortest daytime wait is about 1 min (Monday, 7 a.m.).

TSA typical daytime wait at SBA5 min

Longest typical wait each day

• Monday14 min at 12 p.m.
• Tuesday13 min at 5 a.m.
• Wednesday14 min at 12 p.m.
• Thursday19 min at 12 p.m.
• Friday12 min at 5 a.m.
• Saturday18 min at 11 a.m.
• Sunday20 min at 5 p.m.

Source: TSA's checkpoint wait-time estimates for SBA (tsa.gov data), updated October 19, 2026. TSA estimates the longest standard-lane wait for each hour of the week from past data, airport-wide. PreCheck lanes are separate and not included. These are estimates, not live times.

Thanksgiving 2026 · Thursday, Nov 26

When TSA is busiest at SBA over Thanksgiving

Last Thanksgiving, SBA's busiest day was Sunday, Nov 30: TSA screened about 3,300 people at its checkpoints, 78% more than on a normal early-December weekday. The matching day this year is Sunday, Nov 29.

Source: TSA hourly checkpoint throughput, FOIA reading room, Nov 23 to Dec 1, 2025. These numbers count people screened, not minutes in line. Normal weekday = average of Dec 2 to 4, 2025.

SBA checkpoints and screening hours

TSA screens about 2,671 people a day at Santa Barbara Airport. The busiest day of the week is Sunday and the quietest is Saturday. Steady screening runs 3 a.m. to 7 p.m.

Source: TSA hourly checkpoint throughput, FOIA reading room, Sep 20 to Oct 17, 2026.