Airport guide
LAX
Open guideLos Angeles International Airport
Los Angeles, CA
- Terminals
- 9 · Checkpoints per terminal
- PreCheck / CLEAR
- PreCheck · CLEAR
- Peak
- International evening peak 7:00-11:00 PM; domestic morning peak 5:30-8:30 AM.
Airport guide collection
Southern California airport guides
Check Los Angeles, San Diego, and nearby Southern California airport security guides when West Coast travel plans are flexible. Use this page to compare the airport choice first, then open a single airport guide for current TSA wait-time status and timestamped source context.
Coverage
3 airports
3 with PreCheck noted and 3 with CLEAR noted.
Checkpoint counts unavailable
TravelTSA does not publish one regional checkpoint total here. Terminal and checkpoint layout notes are still source-linked on each airport guide below—open the airport you are flying from for current checkpoint and terminal detail.
Distance context
Airport-to-airport miles are a comparison floor, not a drive-time prediction.
Source confidence
Terminal, checkpoint, PreCheck, and CLEAR rows are compiled from first-party airport or national program pages.
Sample official sourceRegional comparisons are planning context. For a leave-now decision, verify the individual airport's live wait card, its freshness label, the published airport page, and any same-day advisories.
Comparison lenses
What this collection compares
Terminal complexity, program access, and distance context before you open a single airport guide.
Discovery lens
Terminal complexity
Terminals, concourses, and checkpoint layout notes help estimate how complex each airport will feel.
Program access
3/3 PreCheck · 3/3 CLEAR
Availability is source-backed, but lane hours and eligibility can still vary by terminal and day.
Distance context
Airport-to-airport miles
Use the matrix as a quick regional scale check before comparing actual ground travel time.
Comparison
Southern California airport guides at a glance
Side-by-side facts for every airport in this collection. Terminals, concourses, checkpoints, PreCheck, and CLEAR Plus are sourced from each airport's own security, map, or program page; live wait times remain one click deeper on each airport guide.
LAX · Los Angeles, CA
- Terminals
- 9
- Concourses
- -
- Checkpoints
- Checkpoints per terminal
- PreCheck / CLEAR
- PreCheck noted · CLEAR noted
- Peak hours
- International evening peak 7:00-11:00 PM; domestic morning peak 5:30-8:30 AM.
SAN · San Diego, CA
- Terminals
- 2
- Concourses
- T1 (single concourse); T2 East and West
- Checkpoints
- T1 checkpoint, T2 East, T2 West
- PreCheck / CLEAR
- PreCheck noted · CLEAR noted
- Peak hours
- 5:30-8:30 AM and 4:00-6:30 PM local time.
LAS · Las Vegas, NV
- Terminals
- 2
- Concourses
- A, B, C, D (T1); E (T3)
- Checkpoints
- T1 and T3 checkpoint banks
- PreCheck / CLEAR
- PreCheck noted · CLEAR noted
- Peak hours
- Peak departures 11:00 AM-1:00 PM and 5:00-8:00 PM local time (leisure travel pattern).
Distance matrix
Regional distance floor between airports
Straight-line miles computed from each airport's coordinates. Use as a floor for comparison; actual drive time between two airports is always longer.
| From airport | LAX | SAN | LAS |
|---|---|---|---|
| LAX | — | 109 mi | 236 mi |
| SAN | 109 mi | — | 259 mi |
| LAS | 236 mi | 259 mi | — |
Airport guides
Airport guides in Southern California
Airport guide
SAN
Open guideSan Diego International Airport
San Diego, CA
- Terminals
- 2 · T1 checkpoint, T2 East, T2 West
- PreCheck / CLEAR
- PreCheck · CLEAR
- Peak
- 5:30-8:30 AM and 4:00-6:30 PM local time.
Airport guide
LAS
Open guideHarry Reid International Airport
Las Vegas, NV
- Terminals
- 2 · T1 and T3 checkpoint banks
- PreCheck / CLEAR
- PreCheck · CLEAR
- Peak
- Peak departures 11:00 AM-1:00 PM and 5:00-8:00 PM local time (leisure travel pattern).
Official resources
First-party pages for southern california
Direct links to each airport's canonical security, terminal-map, and airline-to-terminal pages in this collection.
LAX resources
LAX · Los Angeles International Airport
Full guideSAN resources
SAN · San Diego International Airport
Full guideLAS resources
LAS · Harry Reid International Airport
Full guideBest next step
Narrow to one airport, then one leave time
Once you pick the right airport in this cluster, move into the individual guide for timestamped wait status and resource links, then use the timing tools below to shape a leave-now decision.